Female Highmark members experiencing pelvic health dysfunction can now access virtual support through musculoskeletal company Sword Health, the insurer announced Monday.
Highmark has about 7 million members in Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia and New York. Members can access the insurer’s virtual pelvic health offering powered by Sword Health through the My Highmark app or web-based member portal. The My Highmark app allows people to check their health benefits and find virtual care programs.
After enrolling in the virtual pelvic health program, members are connected with a pelvic health specialist and receive an insertable device that “tracks and measures the force, endurance and accuracy of pelvic floor muscles,” according to the announcement. This sensor gives members real-time feedback when doing exercises recommended by their specialist. In addition, members receive educational resources and information on their progress in the app.
This kind of support is necessary as nearly one in three women battle pelvic health dysfunction. Prior to Highmark’s collaboration with Sword Health, Highmark was referring patients to traditional in-person physical therapy for pelvic pain, according to Karen Hanlon, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Highmark Health.
“It’s an issue that’s hard for [patients] to talk about with their clinician. … The virtual offering is one that’s of some appeal because it is a little bit less intimidating for people,” Hanlon said in an interview at the ViVE conference in Nashville.
Highmark is already working with Sword Health through its virtual joint health offering, which helps those with acute or chronic pain. The insurer began offering virtual joint health powered by Sword Health to self-funded members in 2022 and then expanded to fully-insured members in 2024. About 36,000 Highmark members have enrolled in this program.
A case study with Sword showed that 92% of enrolled members are actively engaged in the virtual joint health program. In addition, 72% of members completed the program and 69% with significant pain found relief. The insurer also found that Sword’s virtual joint health program lowered emergency department visits, hospital admissions and the need for imaging, surgery and joint replacements. This led to a cost savings of $112 per member per month over 12 months.
“To experience improvement and long-term relief, most musculoskeletal patients need to attend physical care appointments 2 to 3 times a week for at least 6 to 8 weeks,” said Anil Singh, MD, senior vice president of population and curated health at Highmark Health, in a statement. “It’s a significant commitment, so Virtual Joint Health allows members to complete their exercises wherever is most convenient for them and eliminates common barriers to compliance. We’re seeing overwhelmingly positive results, and we believe that’s driven by the ease of access.”
There are numerous other virtual musculoskeletal providers, including Hinge Health and Vori Health. Hanlon said Highmark likes working with Sword Health because it allows members to receive care in a convenient way in their own time frame.
Editor’s note: Arundhati Parmar, editor-in-chief at MedCity News, contributed to this piece.
Photo: Drazen Zigic, Getty Images
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