How preventive care benefits cut downstream MSK costs

Employer healthcare spend keeps climbing, yet most companies still focus their efforts where costs hit last: at the point of surgery, crisis, or chronic claims. What if a huge chunk of this spend could be avoided? Much of what drains your healthcare budget is entirely preventable.

Smart insurers and employers don’t just consider preventive health care an add-on for your benefits plan. It’s the strongest lever to contain costs and keep a member population more healthy, present, and productive. 

This article breaks down why preventative healthcare works, where most companies fall short, and how you can implement some specific solutions to sustainably reduce your overall healthcare spend.

Why preventive care matters for health plan ROI

Recent research demonstrates that 36% of surgeries for MSK conditions are unnecessary, and 80% of those costs could be prevented if physical therapy was used first¹. 

Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain is a prime example: it’s the #1 driver of healthcare waste in the U.S., with employers losing $10.3 million every hour on unnecessary or low-value care².

Many of these costs stem from issues that start small, like poor posture, repetitive strain, and untreated pain. The snowball builds when employees can’t easily access early support. Add in physical inactivity, which drives up to 22% of total employee medical costs, and you see the pattern: waiting until something breaks is what breaks your budget.

Prevention keeps conditions from escalating. It’s the only cost-control strategy that protects both your people and your bottom line.

But what happens when you skip prevention altogether? Let’s analyze the hidden costs most plans fail to see.

The hidden healthcare cost of reactive MSK care

When injury prevention fails, employers pay the price over the long term in the form of escalating MSK claims and costly surgical interventions.

Employees who delay early physical therapy often end up in surgery, even though up to 36% of MSK surgeries are considered avoidable³. Not only are these surgeries expensive, but they lead to long recovery times, disability claims, and even increased risk of opioid use when chronic pain lingers.

Meanwhile, physical inactivity, injury, chronic pain, and disability can cost employers dearly in many ways outside of healthcare costs. Increased absenteeism, lost productivity, and even staff turnover can develop when employee populations are suffering physically. 

Every dollar you save by skipping preventive solutions tends to show up later — multiplied in MSK claims, lost productivity, and hidden healthcare costs.

So what does it take to design a prevention-first strategy that works in the real world? It’s more than an annual screening, but there are inexpensive solutions you can implement at scale.

The pillars of an effective preventive care strategy

A truly effective preventive approach doesn’t rely on one solution. It’s a system that closes gaps before they become claims.

Here’s what leading employers build into their preventative healthcare playbook.

Foundational screenings and primary care

Annual checkups, preventative screenings, and risk assessments can help detect early warning signs for conditions like diabetes, hypertension, or heart disease.

Proactive MSK care

Low back pain, neck strain, and joint issues are easiest to fix when caught early. Digital-first physical therapy programs, like Sword Thrive, give employees fast, clinically-guided care from licensed Doctors of Physical Therapy. This offering helps busy member populations access care at a time and place that suits their lifestyle. This helps people recover faster and prevents unnecessary surgeries.

Daily movement and behavior change

Prevention isn’t a one-time fix. Programs like Sword Move are designed to address “low pain” levels and help to develop regular physical activity habits. This keeps employees mobile, strengthen muscles, and reduces the risk of injuries that turn into more costly downstream MSK claims.

Mental health support

Stress and burnout are early-stage risks that cost you later through absenteeism and disability. Giving employees tools to manage stress proactively pays off by increasing employee engagement and retention. Mental health benefits are also highly valued by employees, particularly those working in stressful environments.

Digital-first access

Your best solutions won’t work if employees can’t use them. Virtual care removes the barriers of traditional in-clinic healthcare models like scheduling conflicts, busy commutes, tight opening hours, and other friction points.

Prevention is multi-layered. The strongest results come when you cover the full picture — and make each layer easy to use. But even the smartest plan falls apart if your people don’t engage. So how do you make sure preventative healthcare is easily accessible?

The role of accessibility and engagement in preventative healthcare

It’s simple: benefits only save money if employees actually use them. Unfortunately, many programs fail because they’re hard to access.

In-person care means taking time off, driving to a clinic, and waiting weeks for an appointment. For many employees, those barriers are enough to delay care, until it’s too late.

Sword’s digital delivery model flips this with sizable improvements in speed of recovery and level of engagement:

• 6.3 days average to start care, not weeks or months of waiting for an appointment⁴
• 42% of sessions happen outside normal working hours, and 23% on weekends⁵
• Care happens at home, guided by licensed healthcare professionals, with real-time feedback and constant progress tracking to keep patients engaged and accountable

This level of flexibility is what drives Sword’s 81% program completion rate, nearly double traditional PT⁶.

Accessibility drives engagement. Engagement drives better outcomes. Better outcomes mean fewer expensive claims.

Making prevention work: real-world examples

Sword’s approach brings proactive prevention to life with three integrated MSK care solutions:

• Predict uses AI to spot high-risk members before they need costly care. It flags patterns that indicate someone might need surgery in the months or years ahead and triggers outreach to get them into therapy early.
• Thrive delivers that early PT in a virtual-first format that removes excuses. No travel, no time off, no drop-off halfway through. Members get one-on-one care, motion tracking, and proven results.
• Move keeps people moving consistently, building the strength and habits that protect against everyday injuries. It’s perfect for workers stuck at desks all day, shift workers on their feet, or any team prone to repetitive strain.

Together, they create a powerful cost reduction flywheel of fewer injuries, fewer claims, and stronger ROI year after year after year.

Prevention is only as strong as its parts and the connection between them. Predict, Thrive, and Move combine to close gaps from all angles.

The ROI of preventative care

When you invest in prevention, you invest in outcomes you can actually measure.

Employers who see the biggest MSK savings:

• Remove barriers to accessing care 
• Make conservative care the first step, reducing the risk of surgery.
• Use predictive analytics to identify high-risk members and guide them into proven pathways.
• Choose vendors who report on measurable healthcare outcomes 

Sword’s model fits this exactly. You pay for results, not just participation.

Sword’s outcome-based pricing means you only pay when members achieve real, clinically significant improvements. No more paying for unused sessions or flat fees that don’t guarantee results.

Combined with early identification of high-risk members through Predict, you get a model that does more than manage costs. 

Sword prevents unnecessary MSK spend and eliminates avoidable surgery costs, allowing you to maximize ROI over the long term.

Sword Health clients see serious results:

• $3,177 saved per member per year, on average .
• Up to 4.4x ROI when high-risk employees are engaged early.
• 68% productivity recovery, because employees spend less time in pain and more time performing at their best .

It’s not just about claims savings either. Companies see fewer lost workdays, lower disability spend, and better morale when people feel their employer cares about keeping them healthy.

Reactive care keeps you stuck in a cycle of paying more for less. Prevention flips the script, delivering savings today and compounding ROI tomorrow.

How to build a culture of preventative healthcare

Here’s how smart employers embed prevention into their culture:

Lead with strategy, not tactics

Prevention isn’t a bolt-on wellness perk. Make it a core part of your workforce health strategy, tied to KPIs for cost control, productivity, and retention.

Communicate simply and often

Use clear messages, stories, and digital touchpoints to show employees what’s in it for them. Confused people don’t engage.

Remove friction

Pick partners that make access easy. Virtual-first programs like Sword mean no travel, no hassle, and no excuses.

Align incentives

Look for vendors who offer pricing tied to results. Sword’s Outcome Pricing means you are getting a genuine partner with a focus on high-quality healthcare for your members. 

Reinforce the value

Celebrate success stories, share impact data, and keep prevention visible year-round. This builds trust and usage.

A prevention culture is the opposite of one-and-done. It’s a steady drumbeat that reminds people you’re invested in keeping them healthy.

Ready to turn prevention into real savings?

Prevention isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the most powerful way to lower your healthcare spend and protect your people at the same time.

Sword Health’s Predict, Thrive, and Move programs help you make prevention practical, proven, and profitable. Implement the Sword MSK suite and start closing the gaps that traditional plans leave wide open. Download our whitepaper for your practical playbook on implementing preventive care that really works.

FAQs on preventative healthcare

Why does preventive care save money?

It stops small problems from becoming big claims, surgeries, or long-term disability.

Which conditions see the biggest payoff from prevention?

MSK conditions, chronic pain, and stress-related mental health challenges are the biggest levers.

What’s the difference between preventive and proactive care?

Preventive means stopping conditions from developing. Proactive means spotting early signs and stepping in before they escalate.

How do I make sure employees actually use these benefits?

Make care accessible, remove friction, and choose partners who guarantee results like Sword Health’s virtual-first MSK and movement ecosystem.