Orthopaedic Product News meets Manish Shah, of PeerWell, who recently launched the ReHab app worldwide, which offers information to patients to ensure better, faster results from surgery. The app was developed in part with NFL players Arian Foster and Glover Quin, who have both had their share of surgeries, but unlike most people they have full access to personal training equipment and on-demand physical therapists. PeerWell offers patients the tools and education they need to take prehab and recovery into their own hands.
OPN: Tell us a little about your background and education in the orthopaedic industry?
MS: My background is primarily in technology, developing products and teams that use data to solve problems for everyday issues. When my father was having knee replacement surgery, I saw firsthand how much more we could do to help patients throughout their journey. We started with PreHab and by request from many patients, added a ReHab program.
OPN: Could you tell us more about your work on rehabilitation following surgery?
MS: Our focus has always been on the whole patient, which means that we address physical, emotional and environmental needs to help them achieve a healthy recovery. In our ReHab program, we provide a comprehensive set of activities that meet individual patient needs and tools that help them to keep track of their progress in real-time. This progress tracker helps them to take control of their recovery without needing to schedule a doctor’s or a physical therapy visit. With PeerWell’s ReHab app patients have access to important answers to their questions and community support at their fingertips.
OPN: How will your ReHab program help surgeons and benefit patients?
MS: Surgeons want the best outcomes for all their patients. They care deeply about how each, individual patient is doing, unfortunately, they don’t have the time to comprehensively address every single need. That’s where PeerWell comes in. We give surgeons their time back and handle the heavy lifting. We serve as an extension of a surgeons’ team as we outline a daily set of activities and information to help patients with their recovery. These detailed instructions and insights ensure that patients are less anxious, more informed and confident that they’re on track in between doctor and physical therapy visits. The feedback we’ve received from the surgeons we work with is overwhelmingly positive. They now have more time in their day and can do more with less resources.
OPN: What about benefits to the healthcare provider?
MS: Providers also want patients to have a great experience when they’re receiving care at their facilities. To them, that care extends beyond the walls of their physical locations. Providers also need information about patient progress and outcomes when they’re not in the hospital. Especially as procedures move towards outpatient settings where patients are discharged within 23 hours. This short timeline creates a need for access to information that helps them to keep up with their patients once they’re home.
OPN: What stage of development are you currently at?
MS: We’ve done well with gaining adoption and educating our stakeholders about the importance of patient self-care, but we’re at the beginning of our journey. There are more patients that we can help and our mission is to get our tools in their hands.
OPN: What could your product mean for the future of orthopaedics?
MS: As the population ages and more people struggle with musculoskeletal conditions, orthopaedics will continue to be a staple in healthcare. The industry is already seeing an influx in orthopaedic procedures and it will only grow more rapidly. To ensure great outcomes, surgeons and physicians will need data-driven tools. Without these tools, they won’t be able to properly manage the needs of such a high-volume of patients. This means we need to get patients started with these programs as early as possible so they can become an advocate for their own recovery and overall health. That is our mission at PeerWell.
For more details, visit: https://www.peerwell.co/rehab
