Orthopaedic Surgeons

Effectively triage and prioritize your knee osteoarthritis patients for surgery.

KneeCareInsight (KCI) is an innovative and insightful patient triaging tool for osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee joint, designed to inform and improve surgical management. Triaging patient referrals is often challenging, with the current status-quo referral typically lacking sufficient information regarding the disease and symptom severity. Detailed information is provided on the patient’s self-reported disability level and the grading of radiological changes in the knee. Furthermore, age and BMI are included to present a fuller picture of the patient.  The material comes to you as an easily-digestible summary report that you and your staff can use when triaging referrals and then again when discussing treatment options with your patient.  This means a far better way to reach an informed decision about the surgery you recommend.

The KCI Advantage

  • Treatment options suited to your patients’ lifestyle, pain level, and their health status

  • Our comprehensive evaluation provides you with non-surgical and surgical treatment options for further discussions with your patients

  • We are the only Canadian clinic certified to use the digitized Oxford Knee Score ? to assess the severity of your patients’ knee OA
         Learn more at: Oxford Knee Score

. . .

Greater insight before and during consultation

The comprehensive report defines the current stage of a patient’s knee osteoarthritis (OA). This staging forms the basis for care guidance (a decision aid).  The unified approach to staging helps to prioritize the timing for surgery. When used early in the care pathway cases, unsuitable candidates for surgery can be identified without further delay.  When deemed appropriate for surgical evaluation, the detailed compartment grading in the report helps define candidates for re-alignment and partial or total knee replacement.  KCI provides you with the insight you need to select the best care options and to prioritize the case as urgent when both disability and damage levels are high.

No need for more imaging and further tests

KCI provides a detailed radiographic assessment of OA in the knee joint with an interpretation of the existing imaging that significantly elevates its diagnostic value. This may reduce the need for repeat or additional imaging during consultation.

Improved patient engagement and shared decision making

When the patient and their referring care provider select a KCI evaluation, the patient comes to see you with a high likelihood of needing and wanting your care.  Combining this with your assessment and sharing the information in deciding with your patient increases the likelihood of a  good outcome because you and your patient are on the same page. You can directly refer the patient for a KCI evaluation if it has not happened.  (Requisition here).

KCI program is covered by OHIP and benefits you and your patient

Using the KCI program has benefits, for your patient, their PCP and for you. The OHIP funded triage is rapid, upstream in the care pathway and consistent. To maximize the advantages request KCI as a routine step before the referral. It has great potential to open slots by eliminating cases that do not need to be seen and identify those with optimal staging for surgery. It will also help lessen the growing case load of cases that need surgery desperately but whose priority for urgent care is hidden by an over-crowded triage process.

Here is how it works.

Patient and provider engaged in the process.

The X-ray, patient completed disability form and demographics are forwarded to KCI by the PCP. KCI uses this information to define the OA severity and outline the care options according to its stage. The patient and PCP review this material (better informed patients and providers) before referral to you to consider surgery.

The KCI Advantage.

The report, including images and all the other relevant clinical data is collected all together for your review. The care options are based on extensive clinical studies. The format is designed to help discuss specific choices, like osteotomy, partial knee replacement or complete replacement surgery, with your patient based on good evidence. Finally, the approach helps you prioritize those with most severe limitations and serious damage for urgent care.