How Oklahoma State University (OK State) personalized musculoskeletal care
Oklahoma State addressed employee pain and improved productivity with a digital MSK solution
- Hinge Health Learning Center
- Articles
- Oklahoma State University Case Study
Outcomes
OK State knows healthcare isn’t one-size-fits-all
Employee well-being is a top priority
One of America’s top 50 public universities
Founded in 1890 as a land-grant institution. Serves 35,000 students across a five-campus system
Around 7,100 benefits-eligible employees, average age 45, 54% female/46% male
Diverse workforce—faculty, administrative, frontline dining service, facilities, and maintenance
OK State knows healthcare isn’t one-size-fits-all
Employee well-being is a top priority
One of America’s top 50 public universities
Founded in 1890 as a land-grant institution. Serves 35,000 students across a five-campus system
Around 7,100 benefits-eligible employees, average age 45, 54% female/46% male
Diverse workforce—faculty, administrative, frontline dining service, facilities, and maintenance
Member testimonial
“I have to say this program has been amazing. My constant back pain that I’ve had for years, which was aggravated with my job, has decreased to barely anything. I have increased agility now and more mobility than I had before and haven’t had in quite a long time. I’m so glad I signed up to do this—so much that I have recommended it to a coworker. I’ve had great motivation to continue this every day due to having an app to follow.”
—Oklahoma State University employee and Hinge Health participant
About Oklahoma State University
OK State’s overarching goal from a benefits perspective is to provide the best resources and support for employees. To identify programs and services that would be a strategic fit, OK State has partnered with Lockton. Over the past few years, both mental health and MSK conditions have been focus areas.
In recent years, MSK pain has consistently ranked as one of the top three claim cost categories at OK State. The facilities and maintenance employees are at particular risk for MSK pain, due to the physically demanding nature of their work.
OK State’s workforce and benefits challenges
Communicating relevant program information to different employee populations at the time they need it is tough. Some employees, such as facilities and maintenance, never access a computer during the workday.
Even if employees don’t use computers in support of their work, that doesn’t mean they would be reluctant to access digital resources to improve their health.
OK State University’s MSK benefits program implementation
The benefits team evaluated different MSK solutions and felt Hinge Health would deliver the best outcomes for employees and the institution. The implementation process was very smooth. The Hinge Health team made everything as easy as possible.
To communicate the program to employees, OK State used a blended approach with “boots on the ground” presentations for teams that don’t use computers as part of their jobs and emails for other employees.
Employee engagement with Hinge Health over the 12-week program has been great:
2 to 3 exercise therapy sessions completed per week on average
4 to 5 interactions per week with the care team
1 to 2 articles read on average over the course of the program
Participant feedback about Hinge Health has been uniformly positive. Many individuals who have tried everything to alleviate their chronic pain have found success with Hinge Health. Pain and surgeries have decreased, while mental wellbeing has improved. Addressing pain in a natural way has also reduced the risk of unintentional opioid addiction.
OK State’s Hinge Health participants report:
49% reduction in pain after the first 12 weeks
49% reduction in anxiety
50% reduction in depression
59% decrease in one-year likelihood of surgery
44% decrease in absenteeism and presenteeism
Satisfaction score: 8.6/10
Net Promoter score: 49