Smith+Nephew Launches ARIA Care Management Platform

Smith+Nephew announced the launch of ARIA, a digital platform and application designed to connect delivery of patient care with providers throughout the surgical and clinical episode. ARIA is powered by the company’s Real Intelligence digital ecosystem and Positive Connections ASC solutions program.
 
The platform aims to help clinicians shorten the patient’s post-acute recovery time, develop efficiencies that reduce costs, and generate key Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) and satisfaction data to better define value for both the patient and site of care. The platform contains customizable patient engagement pathways and enables connected, automated communication between the care navigator and patient. ARIA also displays dashboards that provide visibility for the patient and provider to help reduce variability in clinical outcomes.
 
In addition to those benefits, the platform also enables secure communication with referring providers and generates data that ambulatory surgery centers or clinical practices may utilize when interfacing with payers.
 
“Interconnectivity and communication have become core drivers of efficiency in every aspect of our lives,” said Skip Kiil, President, Global Orthopaedics at Smith+Nephew. “ARIA will help our customers utilize digital connectivity with patients and their referral network to break down traditional barriers, improve patient compliance, and mitigate readmission risk using objective data.”
 
Smith+Nephew acquired two digital technology products, MiJourney and Rapid Recovery Pathways, in February. The foundation for ARIA was built on MiJourney, and Rapid Recovery Pathways will be integrated into the platform later this year.
 
According to a white paper evaluating MiJourney’s use in two hospitals and authored by its founders, the product generated documented cost savings and increased efficiency for customers and their patients, including:
 

• a 45 percent reduction in readmission rates for some customers, thanks to fully integrated patient communication and progress evaluation¹
• an approximate 35 percent reduction in 90-day episodic costs¹
• a reduced length of stay in skilled nursing facilities by up to 30 percent for patients when using the product¹

 
“Staying connected to our patients before, during and after their surgical episode helps us deliver better outcomes for them,” said Dr. Rowland Roberson, an orthopaedic surgeon at Specialty Orthopaedic Group in Tupelo, Mississippi. “As existing MiJourney users, the new ARIA platform will enable our surgery center to continue to reduce variability while also maximizing our staff’s efficiency in the office.”
 
Reference
¹ Thomas, S. The Effect of a Navigational Tool on Total Joint Replacement in a Closed Health System. White paper, 2018