Traditional MSK pricing models reward utilization rather than what matters most to your members – recovery. Sword’s Outcome Pricing flips that equation by tying payment directly to measurable healthcare improvements.

In this whitepaper, we outline how Sword links 50% of program cost to a clinically-validated, member-reported outcome. Learn why achieving that outcome directly lowers downstream MSK spend. We uncover how we use claims-based analysis from a higher-acuity population to show how “meaningful improvement” aligns clinical success with real financial impact.

For health plans, employers, and consultants looking to move beyond engagement metrics and toward predictable ROI, this whitepaper provides a clear, data-backed framework to explain how outcome-based pricing works in practice.

What this whitepaper helps you analyze

Understand why outcome-based pricing realigns incentives so MSK providers are focuses on quality of care, not volume or utilization. You will learn how Sword measures and reports on return on investment. This whitepaper can be used to help any stakeholder understand how outcome-based pricing reduces financial risk and aligns payment with outcomes that actually matter to members.

Key learnings inside the whitepaper

• What claims analysis reveals about the relationship between successful outcomes and lower downstream MSK spend
• How the Patients' Global Impression of Change (PGIC) scale performs as a simple, scalable measure across diverse populations without requiring high levels of health literacy
• How health plans, employers, and consultants can interpret these findings when evaluating risk, predictability, and ROI in MSK benefit design