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For many insurers, musculoskeletal claims follow a familiar pattern. A claimant reports a condition. Treatment is authorised. The claimant selects a provider. The treatment pathway proceeds largely outside the insurer’s visibility and control. The insurer knows how many appointments are funded, but often has less visibility into whether those appointments were the minimum necessary to achieve the desired outcome. The challenge is not authorisation. The challenge is optimisation.

A different approach

Trigo was designed around a simple principle. Before treatment begins, every claimant should have rapid access to a physiotherapist who can help determine the most appropriate pathway. Rather than immediately entering a treatment programme, claimants receive an early professional assessment through a rapid-access digital consultation. Some claimants may be suitable for a digitally supported pathway. Others may require hands-on treatment. Some may benefit from a hybrid approach. The important point is that the decision is made using professional assessment rather than assumptions.

Faster access, stronger engagement

One of the most significant findings from a recent insurer pilot was the level of claimant engagement achieved through rapid access. Almost four out of five referred claimants successfully registered and engaged with the service. More than eight out of ten registered users progressed to a professional assessment. Attendance at initial assessments exceeded expectations, with no recorded failures to attend. These findings suggest that rapid access to a physiotherapist creates a strong sense of responsiveness and support, encouraging engagement at the earliest stage of the claim journey.

Better routing into the right pathway

Not every claimant requires the same type of intervention. Following assessment, users were directed into the most appropriate pathway based on professional judgement and patient preference. Where digital treatment was suitable and accepted, users entered a Trigo-managed supported self-care programme. Where digital treatment was not suitable, or where users preferred hands-on care, recommendations were provided regarding likely treatment requirements before referral into the wider physiotherapy network. This created an additional layer of utilisation management that does not typically exist within traditional open-authorisation models.

Creating the potential for lower utilisation

Within digitally managed cases, average treatment intensity was 2.46 clinical contacts per case. This demonstrates the potential for a supported self-care model to deliver care efficiently while maintaining professional oversight. The pilot demonstrated that a professionally managed digital pathway can operate with substantially fewer clinician contacts than many traditional treatment models, creating opportunities for improved efficiency and cost control.

The future of insurer-led musculoskeletal care

The opportunity for insurers is not simply digitising treatment. It is creating greater visibility, earlier intervention and more intelligent utilisation management. A rapid-access front-door model gives insurers the ability to improve claimant experience through faster access, increase engagement and attendance, route claimants into more appropriate pathways, improve visibility of treatment utilisation, support more efficient allocation of clinical resources and create the foundations for better cost control. For insurers seeking new approaches to musculoskeletal care, the future may not lie in authorising more treatment. It may lie in optimising treatment before it begins.

Pilot data available on request. Results derived from a musculoskeletal pilot conducted with a leading Norwegian insurer.

“Before wellbeing programmes can improve organisational outcomes, employees must first choose to participate.”

Why engagement matters

Research consistently identifies employee engagement and sustained participation as critical determinants of workplace wellbeing programme success. Studies of workplace wellbeing and digital health interventions have repeatedly shown that providing access alone does not create behaviour change. Participation is the essential bridge between investment and impact.

The challenge facing employers

Many employers already provide access to wellbeing resources and support services. However, research into digital health interventions demonstrates that participant attrition is common. Sustaining engagement over time remains one of the biggest challenges facing workplace wellbeing initiatives.

The municipal pilot

The pilot was delivered across all municipal kindergarten locations using the Trigo supported self-care platform. Employees were encouraged to engage through behavioural nudges, challenges, gamification, rewards, progress tracking and motivational communications. The objective was not simply awareness. The objective was participation.

Participation across the workforce

Every participating location achieved employee activation. Approximately two-thirds of employees actively engaged with the programme. Participation increased during the pilot rather than declining after launch, suggesting that engagement became embedded within everyday working life.

From registration to behaviour change

The strongest findings related to employee behaviour rather than simple platform usage. More than 80% of participating employees recorded physical activity. Almost 80% achieved recognised WHO physical activity targets at least once. Nearly 90% engaged with routines designed to support positive habits. Almost half tracked sleep. Employees also engaged with hydration tracking, lifestyle assessments and personalised wellbeing tools.

Creating a culture of participation

The programme combined supported self-care with challenges, rewards, gamification and positive reinforcement. Employees were encouraged to set goals, track progress and receive recognition for positive actions. Healthy behaviours were made visible, achievable and rewarding.

Why this matters for employers

Norwegian policy and research consistently highlight the importance of prevention, workplace participation and early engagement. Although this pilot does not demonstrate reductions in sickness absence or organisational costs, it demonstrates that employees are willing to engage with supported self-care when the proposition is relevant, motivating and accessible.

The evolution towards a preventative health ecosystem

The pilot provides a foundation for a broader preventative health ecosystem. The long-term vision combines supported self-care, behavioural engagement, educational content, wellbeing monitoring, professional support and workforce participation initiatives within a single framework.

What employers can learn

The pilot answered an important question. Employees will participate. They will engage with positive health behaviours. They will return repeatedly. For employers seeking to strengthen workforce participation and preventative health, engagement is the foundation upon which future outcomes can be built.

Why this matters – at a glance

Conclusion

The pilot does not yet demonstrate reductions in sickness absence, healthcare utilisation or organisational costs. Those outcomes require further evaluation. What it does demonstrate is that employees are willing to engage with supported self-care when the experience is relevant, motivating and easy to access. For organisations seeking to strengthen workforce participation and preventative health, engagement is where meaningful change begins.

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