Summary
KORT Physical Therapy, part of Select Medical Outpatient Services, is a leading provider of physical therapy services with 1,900+ locations in 39 states. KORT focuses on providing patients with a compassionate, supportive environment designed to promote optimal healing and patient satisfaction. This strong dedication to the patient experience prompted KORT to approach Medbridge about leveraging digital care to increase patient engagement and help patients get better even when they aren’t in the clinic.
With the Medbridge Care platform, KORT launched a new remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) program to improve patient access to care and strengthen the therapeutic alliance, which resulted in a striking increase in patient engagement and reimbursement.
Results at a glance
96%
Patient login rate in the first 30 days
68%
Increase in overall patient login rate
$100
Increase in reimbursement per episode
89%
Clinician compliance
The Challenge
Expanding care access and improving outcomes without compromising the therapeutic alliance
Like many organizations, KORT initially questioned whether patients and clinicians were ready for digital care. Clinicians worried patients wouldn’t use an online platform—a common and understandable concern in physical therapy, where personalized workflows are shaped by hands-on expertise and transitioning to digital tools can sometimes seem like a challenge to that expertise. But embracing data and evidence-based innovation is key to growth, for both organizations and individual providers.
KORT knew they needed a new approach to expand access and improve outcomes, without compromising the therapeutic alliance clinicians work hard to build. They also wanted control over their own patient data to support informed clinical decision-making, something not always possible with other platforms.
The Solution
A cost-effective digital care and RTM solution that engages and supports patients
KORT needed a way to do more within the constraints they were facing. Hiring more staff would raise costs and their existing clinicians already had full schedules. So, the team began searching for a cost-effective platform to support their organization and help patients progress in care. Choosing Medbridge gave KORT access to:
- Home exercise programs and a mobile app that patients love and return to over and over again, featuring high-quality video, education, and reminders that drive real behavior change.
- An RTM platform designed to drive patient engagement, capture key data, and simplify patient monitoring and billing with a streamlined portal.
- Training and workflow development from dedicated teams that deliver high-quality training for providers and help organizations implement care coordinator models that support success at the patient level.
KORT also created a new care model to support RTM by adding a dedicated case manager responsible for care between in-person visits. The case manager follows up with patients one to two days after their initial visit to address questions and provides ongoing monitoring and engagement outside the clinic. This gives patients a dedicated provider who can support them while managing the workload for in-clinic therapists.
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“For patients, having that case manager who will guide you through your exercises and data while answering questions in-between visits has been really well received.”
Robbie Hinkebein, PT, DPT, OCS, ATC
President, KORT Physical Therapy
The Results
Incredible clinician and patient engagement, along with new revenue streams
As a leading organization providing physical therapy and rehabilitation services, KORT has established itself as a digital innovator by integrating Medbridge’s RTM solution into their telehealth initiative, reinforcing their commitment to hybrid care innovation while driving higher patient engagement and unlocking new revenue opportunities and the potential for expansion.
With Medbridge RTM on board, the team at KORT has been able to achieve:
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Incredible Engagement
Initial hesitation among some clinicians gave way to the realization that RTM is a game changer for organizations like KORT. A modest investment in time and energy led to patients logging in more consistently and completing their exercises, with performance data automatically collected and shared with their care team. In the first 30 days, a full 96 percent of patients logged in to their care programs—a 500 percent increase—and overall patient logins (beyond the 30-day period) increased by 68 percent. Clinicians embraced the shift, with 89 percent incorporating RTM into their care episodes.
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Increased reimbursement
Across monitored patients, KORT was able to collect an average additional reimbursement per episode of $100, equivalent to an additional 45 minutes of in-person care (3 units of RTM code 97110).
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Expanded Services Due to Program Success
By exceeding their engagement goals and collecting additional revenue, KORT is now better positioned to fund broader initiatives that expand hybrid care across their organization. This includes a potential initiative to use Medbridge RTM for Workers’ Compensation patients, a group they see as especially well-suited to benefit from ongoing remote engagement.
In addition, feedback on KORT’s new case manager care model has been overwhelmingly positive from both patients and clinicians. By assigning follow-ups and monitoring to a dedicated case manager, clinicians can focus more fully on in-person care and evaluations. Patients feel supported and engaged between visits, with someone readily available to answer questions and guide them toward their goals.
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“With Medbridge’s RTM we’ve been able to connect with patients in-between visits which is producing the best outcomes and patient experience.”
Robbie Hinkebein, PT, DPT, OCS, ATC
President, KORT Physical Therapy
