Musculoskeletal care companies Kaia Health and Luna Physical Therapy partner up

The Kaia will integrate Luna into its solution, providing care both virtually and in-home

We've all heard about the rise the rise of virtual care by now, with patients being able to largely take care of themselves, without ever needing to go to a doctor's office. There's another side of digital health that is now also starting to make a comeback: in-home care.

Of course, doctor house calls used to be common back in the day, before they went out out of style, but now you've got companies that have been working to bring the idea back.

The best solutions will likely feature both types solutions, giving patients more options and the flexibility to see a doctor the way they want: either over the phone, or in person, at their convenience.

It's with that in mind that two companies in the physical therapy space have decided to partner up: Kaia Health, which treats these conditions through its virtual solution, creating treatments for a range of disorders, including back pain and COPD, and Luna On-Demand Physical Therapy, a company that sends physical therapists into the patient's home. 

Kaia uses machine learning to give patients personalized care that they can use on their own devices, using virtual physical therapy to provide real-time exercise feedback.

Earlier this year, the company announced two new products: Premium Partners, which integrates with leading medical providers, and provides users with Coaches and medical professionals when it is deemed beneficial, and Gateway, a screening process that uses a clinical triage algorithm that analyzes various clinical dimensions to identify patients who may be at risk of needing more invasive or intense treatment. 

Kaia Health currently has more than 450,000 users and by integrating Luna into its platform, it says it will be the only digital musculoskeletal pain solution to provide digital therapy and in-person, at-home care.

“This partnership represents a major leap forward in our mission to make high-quality care accessible to all patients—wherever they are in their journey—and deliver the best outcomes,”  Konstantin Mehl, CEO and founder of Kaia Health said in a statement.

“Partnering with Luna furthers our lead in the MSK market and extends our human-centered, digitally enabled approach to managing MSK conditions.” 

Founded in 2018, Luna matches patients with a physical therapist, who then delivers therapy in-person, either at their home or work. In between sessions, the therapist can also prescribe in-app exercises and answer any questions the patient might have in the Luna app. The company has more than 1,200 therapists providing services in 20 states.

“Partnering with Kaia Health is consistent with our philosophy of using digital care when appropriate and as an entry point for structured, in-person MSK pain therapy according to patient need,” said Palak Shah, Luna co-founder and head of clinical services.

“With Luna, Kaia Health solves accessibility issues by bringing physical therapy to members at home, on their own schedule. Delivering personalized and effective therapy in this way maximizes engagement and patient outcomes.”

The Brooklyn-based Kaia Health raised $75 million in a Series C round in April, bringing its total raised to $125 million. Investors include Optum Ventures, Eurazeo, 3VC, Balderton Capital, Heartcore Capital, Symphony Ventures  and A Round Capital.