HSS and BetterPT Team Up To Help Change The Game For Physical Therapy

New York, NY—November 8, 2017

Today, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and its Global Innovation Institute (GII) formalized a partnership with a new digital physical therapy (PT) platform, BetterPT (www.BetterPT.com), to help accelerate growth and development of its patient-provider matching service for physical therapy. HSS, the world leader in the development of innovative technology solutions and care delivery models for musculoskeletal health, will partner with BetterPT to revolutionize the way patients gain access to high-quality physical therapists by leveraging its knowledge and know-how with digital and mobile technology.

BetterPT is a digital resource and platform that builds on the HSS experience of helping patients find the highest level of rehabilitation care close to where they live or work. Through the BetterPT app and online service, patients can conveniently connect to the HSS Rehabilitation Network’s highly qualified therapists.  Physical therapy visits are frequently canceled because of the challenges patients face and together, BetterPT and HSS are striving to make the entire process more user-friendly and accessible. BetterPT will leverage HSS’s expertise in provider credentialing and clinical care to open up greater opportunities for patients to access high-quality physical therapy where they live and work.

"HSS and our Surgeon-inventors and cofounders are leading experts in clinical care and are developing technologies, devices and therapeutics to deliver what we do for our patients at HSS and at scale to global audiences. Better PT is one of the many exciting partnerships that will deliver on our promise to see HSS knowledge extended around the globe," said Louis A. Shapiro, HSS President and CEO.

Co-founded in 2016 by HSS sports medicine surgeon, Stephen Fealy M.D., and one of New York’s leading fitness professionals Greg Peters, BetterPT has adopted the 'Open Table' model and applied it to physical therapy. While being HIPAA compliant, patients, physical therapy clinics, and provider-based institutions now have the ease of direct scheduling via web-based and mobile applications. The patient can select a provider and book an appointment based on location, insurance carrier, clinic name, physical therapist, and available day and time. Equally as important, patients can also pay for their treatment and seamlessly manage their history, including access to ICD-10 codes, for insurance reimbursement.

"BetterPT has approached healthcare innovation, understanding that adoption and incremental change is the only measure of success," explained Greg Peters, CEO of BetterPT. This technology was developed to address the rapidly changing healthcare landscape and focus on the role physical therapy plays in the prevention and treatment of some of the most debilitating and costly conditions people suffer from in the United States. HSS is currently rolling out BetterPT technology to its HSS Rehabilitation Network, a group of over 150 therapy clinics credentialed by HSS for providing the highest quality care. The platform will then be used to integrate into various strategic growth plans and ventures over the next few years to change the way care is accessed and delivered.

"We have partnered together because we want to empower consumers and providers to make better healthcare decisions," said Leonard Achan, RN ANP, Chief Innovation Officer at HSS. "Working directly with our surgeons, staff and the entrepreneurial community to bring real value to patients and the healthcare community is the mission of the HSS Global Innovation Institute. We are thrilled to have BetterPT as part of our rapidly growing portfolio of HSS companies."

BetterPT has quickly gained traction in developing their direct-to-consumer platform and immediately gained loyal customers after launching the product. HSS recognizes the positive impact that BetterPT is already making on the physical therapy industry.

"With patient demand for physical therapy growing faster than any other health service, and all 50 states now permitting direct access to physical therapy, BetterPT is perfectly positioned to help patients access high quality care that works with their busy lives," stated Stephen Fealy M.D., Chief Medical Officer of BetterPT. "Being able to leverage the unrivaled knowledge and expertise at HSS in the care of orthopedic and musculoskeletal conditions will enable us to create more value for both patients and therapists in this environment."

In 2017, BetterPT raised a $1.5 million seed round to continue growth and scaling of the platform for PT clinics of all sizes.