May 19, 2025
How Highmark is on track to save $30 million in healthcare costs* in 2024 with Sword
Since partnering with Sword Health in 2022, Highmark has seen staggering results. We’re excited to share the full story behind the projected $30M1 in healthcare savings for 2024 - and how you can learn from their success.
Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are the number one cause of chronic pain in the US2. Traditional physical therapy leaves 50% of patients dropping out after four sessions3. This compromises an efficient recovery, with many people continuing to suffer from physical pain and conditional movement.
As one of the largest Blue Cross Blue Shield-affiliated health insurers in the U.S., covering more than 7 million members, Highmark Health was committed to finding a solution: after a robust evaluation process, Highmark selected Sword to power their “Virtual Joint Health” resource for health plan members. Through Sword, Highmark members get access to world-class clinical care for MSK related conditions from the comfort of home (or wherever they are).
~$30M
Highmark’s projected healthcare savings by using Sword in 20244
2.7x
Estimated return on investment from the Sword healthcare program4
Highmark’s remarkable success with Sword Thrive
- 92% member engagement
- $1,010 lower MSK-related surgery costs (per member per year)
- $246 lower physical therapy and chiropractic costs (per member per year)
- 4x increase in physical therapy utilization following Sword activation
- 340 fewer surgery visits per 1000 members
- 69% of participants with significant pain reported relief
Contributors to White Paper
Sword Team
Experts in pain, movement, and digital health
Footnotes
* Represents $30M in healthcare savings, calculated by Sword, for 19,256 active Thrive members between Jan - Dec ‘24. Savings were scaled based on utilization with 9 sessions defined as completion.
Sword calculates that achieving savings at this scale would result in a return on investment (ROI) of approximately 2.7x
