Pager Health has announced a strategic partnership with Protera Health to integrate virtual musculoskeletal (MSK) care services into its digital health platform. This collaboration will combine Pager's omnichannel care navigation capabilities with Protera's specialized virtual MSK program to deliver streamlined, evidence-based care for the more than 26 million members currently served by Pager across the United States and Latin America.
Musculoskeletal conditions—including chronic back pain, arthritis, joint injuries, and ligament disorders—affect over 50% of U.S. adults and generate approximately $420 billion annually in direct and indirect costs. These substantial expenditures largely result from fragmented care delivery systems and limited access to appropriate conservative treatments. Key factors driving unnecessary MSK procedures include excessive reliance on imaging without proper clinical correlation, premature surgical interventions before exploring conservative options, patient expectations influenced by misinformation, and insufficient shared decision-making processes.
Through this new partnership, Pager Health's platform will leverage its AI capabilities, omnichannel communication tools, and concierge services to identify members with potential MSK concerns and guide them directly to Protera Health's virtual MSK services. The integrated pathway may then route patients to in-home physical therapy, in-network clinics, or orthopedic consultations as clinically appropriate—all without requiring complex IT integrations between systems.
Protera Health, as a digital-first MSK provider, contracts directly with payers, employers, and health systems to offer telehealth-based access to a national network of orthopedic specialists. Their comprehensive service offering includes virtual consultations, physical therapy, educational resources, and coordinated referrals—helping patients avoid unnecessary imaging or procedures while improving outcomes through evidence-based conservative care pathways.
"Integrating Protera Health into our platform reinforces Pager's role as a central connector within the healthcare system. We're expanding access to value-driven MSK care by offering members a seamless, digitally enabled experience through a curated ecosystem of high-impact partners," said Rita Sharma, Chief Product Officer at Pager Health.
This strategic alignment represents a significant advancement in how technology-enabled care navigation and virtual-first clinical services can work together to reduce costs, improve access, and enhance patient engagement at scale—particularly for musculoskeletal conditions that have traditionally been subject to care fragmentation, overutilization, and inconsistent treatment approaches.
Click here for the original news story.