TailorCare propensity score-matched research ties upstream care to major musculoskeletal health savings for Medicare Advantage members

(Nashville, Tenn.) — July 29, 2026 — TailorCare, a leading specialty value-based care organization providing scalable musculoskeletal (MSK) care navigation solutions, today released new research addressing one of the costliest health conditions in the U.S. The study shows TailorCare’s conservative care model meaningfully lowers MSK spend for Medicare Advantage members.

The study compared TailorCare members to a matched group of non-engaged members with similar health and demographic profiles in the Atlanta, GA market. Members whose personalized care plans led them to self-care or PT-adherent treatment — the two most common outcomes of TailorCare’s conservative care model — spent materially less on MSK care than their matched controls.

Every member’s care plan is individually determined by a licensed doctor of physical therapy (DPT), who ensures each person gets the right care based on their condition, goals and predictive risk profile. Guided by evidence-based clinical guidelines, TailorCare places approximately 90% of engaged members on a self-care or PT-adherent care plan.

Members whose profile indicates a need for more invasive or higher-cost care are guided toward that care and supported through it by the same DPT-led model. For members whose condition does warrant surgery, TailorCare’s DPTs stay engaged — coordinating with each member’s care team and tracking recovery to support better outcomes and reduce avoidable downstream costs in that population as well.

Across the self-care and PT-adherent care plans, the results were consistent: TailorCare members spent less than their matched counterparts.

Key findings over a 6-month period include:

• 79% lower MSK spend for self-care members vs. matched controls.
• 17% lower MSK spend for PT-adherent members vs. matched controls — an early but promising trend.
• 27% fewer ambulatory surgery center (ASC) surgical procedures among PT-adherent members vs. matched controls.

“Getting members to the right care plan early matters, and in order to do so we need to use some of the most qualified professionals who fully understand MSK,” said Dr. Lucas Richie, MD, Chief Medical Officer at TailorCare. “Our DPTs are hands-on architects of every member’s care plan, including self-care. They direct members following evidence based guidelines and that is what drives outcomes like these, and it’s why we built the model this way.”

“So much of MSK spend is potentially avoidable,” said Andrew Romero, MBA, lead study investigator and Senior Director of Medical Economics at TailorCare. “This study gives us a clear, controlled look at how much conservative care actually saves.”

TailorCare’s personalized navigation solution for MSK health is available to more than 3 million eligible commercial and Medicare Advantage members in all 50 states.

The full study, “The ROI of Conservative Care: An MSK Utilization & Spend Study,” is available at tailorcare.com/msk-conservative-care-roi-study.

About TailorCare

TailorCare is a leading provider of specialty value-based care solutions focused on improving patient outcomes for joint, back and muscle conditions. We take a deeply personal, data-driven approach by carefully assessing patients’ symptoms, health history, preferences and goals for musculoskeletal health improvement. Utilizing predictive analytics and AI paired with proprietary datasets and the latest evidence-based guidelines, we guide patients in navigating the most effective treatment pathways every step of the way. Learn more at www.tailorcare.com and follow us on LinkedIn at @TailorCare.

Media Contact

Melanie Hill
[email protected]

Editor’s note: Operational data referenced in this release is derived from results across TailorCare’s book of business over a defined period of time. Results vary by population and are not a prediction or guarantee of outcomes for any specific health plan or member group.