Our Solution
Today over 14 million North Americans suffer from osteoarthritis knee pain, with over 1 million Total Knee Replacement (TKR) surgeries each year.
KCI’s vision is to deliver evidence-based insights to improve outcomes in the diagnosis, management and care of knee osteoarthritis. Our success will be measured by the value created to the patients and providers in managing the continuum of care for the population suffering from osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee has been around as long as humans have. In fact, studies have shown evidence of knee osteoarthritis in dinosaur fossils. This widespread disease has a variable but progressive course of pain and functional loss that can cripple. Common symptoms include joint pain, stiffness, tenderness, bone spurs, loss of flexibility, grating sensation, and swelling. OA occurs when the gliding load-bearing cartilage that surfaces the joint is worn away over time. What is a slight pain in the knee becomes, over time, a significant mobility problem and a decreased quality of life.
The challenge of identifying and accessing appropriate care
Osteoarthritis significantly impacts patients’ health and poses socioeconomic challenges to the healthcare system and payers. OA also has a considerable impact on the families of patients who suffer from this chronic disease. Lacking insight into best care, thousands of patients are waiting for a referral to Orthopedic Surgeons for surgery as the ‘only resort.’ However, up to 30% of patients assessed by a surgeon are not candidates for surgery, and up to 20% of those who do get surgery are dissatisfied with the results.
Referral to surgeons for knee replacement surgery should include insights from KCI rather than the current varied and limited approach.
A validated science-based approach is urgently needed.
In conjunction with experienced orthopaedic surgeons and through numerous studies testing its capabilities, the KCI approach has proven to correlate accurately with the decision for or against surgical intervention. To date, the approach has been evaluated for its use in close to 1000 patients. As a decision aid, KCI was in accord with the surgical decision 90% of the time.
KCI was developed to enable patients to understand the chronic nature of their knee OA; to give primary care providers precise staging information for the disease with guidance to select the best form of management, and to give surgeons and health care administrators a tool to triage the severity of disease in a patient quickly. Total Knee Replacement (TKR) surgery is greatly beneficial when used at the right time for those who need it. But, for those who do not, many non-surgical therapies effectively slow the disease process and improve symptoms. So, the key is gaining the patient’s understanding of their problem and giving the Primary Care Provider (PCP) the tools to select the best care option according to the stage of the disease. We know this provides a collaborative and informed approach to managing this chronic disease.
KCI applies readily available information about the patient and their limitations with the clinical grading of x-rays to define the severity of knee OA accurately. KCI provides a customized report to the Primary Care Provider (PCP) of the patient’s OA severity with evidence-based management options to consider.
Currently, there is no unified approach for knee OA care. There is no accepted (standard) way to approach the assessment. This variability in practice has led to unnecessary delays in care and inappropriate choices for what is being done (use of opioids, inappropriate imaging or referrals, and unneeded surgery). KCI offers a novel reliable, reputable way to define knee OA severity. It is the only evidence-based approach to OA staging and care management. KCI services are available virtually to minimize travel and turnaround times.