Google and IncludeHealth Launch Orthopedic “Operating System”

Columbus, Ohio-based IncludeHealth, Inc., via a partnership with Mountain View, California-based Google and Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica, has unveiled its proprietary Musculoskeletal Operating System (MSK-OS™).

IncludeHealth is a digital musculoskeletal health company and, for the past two years, has been developing its MSK-OS platform which, according to the company, is a “hardware-free, device-agnostic platform” to deliver virtual musculoskeletal care to patients from any device. A couple of the platform’s features are that it provides “measurable post estimation technology” and a “proprietary clinical intelligence and tools.” Furthermore, according to IncludeHealth, its platform is HIPAA compliant and cloud based.

IncludeHealth began working with Google in 2020. Sandeep Gupta, the product manager for TensorFlow at Google explained, in part, “At Google, we’re always looking for high-impact applications of our new technologies. So, we provided early releases of our latest post estimation model, MoveNet, and worked together with the IncludeHealth team to achieve the ideal balance of speed and accuracy for physical therapy treatments.”

IncludeHealth has also partnered with ProMedica to offer the MSK-OS platform to ProMedica patients. ProMedica provides healthcare services to patients across 28 states. With the platform, patients will be able to utilize their phones, tablets, or computers to complete musculoskeletal care treatment plans.

OTW spoke with IncludeHealth Founder and CEO Ryan Eder about the significance of the partnerships: “This partnership with Google has allowed IncludeHealth to develop a breakthrough technology that has many clinical applications and unprecedented scalability. Our ongoing collaboration with Google ensures that our technology remains on the cutting edge, as we continue to enhance our platform based on customer and patient needs.”

Eder continued, “Our strategic partnership with ProMedica will allow for at scale deployment of the MSK-OS platform with a like-minded clinical partner. Through deep collaboration we will define a clinical operating model for MSK-OS deployment which best serves ProMedica patients’ needs, allowing us to maximize our value as an operational partner (in addition to the standalone value of the tech itself). This will unlock the next phase of growth for the company.”

Eder also discussed IncludeHealth’s goals for MSK-OS over the next six months. Eder explained to OTW that the company’s goals for the operating system include the following: “scale our core use cases with provider partners across several distinct verticals; execute targeted pilot programs with payor partners for specific use cases; and continue product development and enhancement based on current customer and patient feedback.”