Get-Help-Now assists employers and employees with an innovative supply-chain approach to early intervention in work disability, to ensure earlier diagnosis and faster treatment. The system streamlines and digitalises detection of employees at high risk of chronic conditions. Get-Help-Now then speeds treatment to those patients by adapting disease- and country-specific work-flows.

Origins

During adult working life, about 40% of employees in Europe experience one or more episodes of mental illness, musculoskeletal disorders or chronic pain. The individual suffering and economic burden of these conditions is greater, in terms of years of disability endured and GDP loss, than any other group of diseases. Nonetheless, unlike treatment of acute accidents, rapid help for mental illness, musculoskeletal disorders or chronic pain eludes most employees in European healthcare systems.

Team

Get-Help-Now brings together partners from throughout the health-value-chain – from the occupational service to the specialist. It is designed from a patient perspective, to simplify the process, just as logistics companies have done for cross-border shipments. The business is funded from long-term savings at health insurers, companies and pension funds.

The project

Get-Help-Now streamlines and digitalises early intervention for all employees, with a special focus on the common work-related problems of mental illness, and musculoskeletal and pain related illness. The system helps patients, whether they are at risk of developing a disease or at risk of short- or long-term work disability. As with diagnosis, treatment is swift: Using a unifying backbone that patients can connect with through a smartphone app, Get-Help-Now adapts disease- and country-specific work-flows to eliminate treatment delays.

The innovation is to redesign the process of early intervention for musculoskeletal disease and mental illness using a supply-chain approach that addresses established digitalised techniques backwards – with a focus on end-results, including early return to work or initiation of evidence-based therapy.

The objective is to maximise efficiency and impact at each stage of a stepped-up approach. Get-Help-Now transfers knowledge from other domains of business-digitalisation, e.g. online-booking platforms, airline-industry, logistics, supply- chain-programming, to early health intervention.

For employees Get-Help-Now links the occupational setting to early intervention at three different stages:

• during identification of individuals at high risk with symptoms threatening work-ability,
• during initiation of effective treatment at early clinical manifestation, or
• when there is risk of chronification.

Impact

Ultimately, the target market for Get-Help-Now is all employees throughout Europe at risk of, or already inflicted with, mental illness, musculoskeletal disorders or pain. Other beneficiaries include employers and society, both benefiting from a reduction in work disability and better productivity. Based on data from Spain, the English IAPT program and German pilot projects, we expect to save about 5-7 days of sick leave over a period of 24 months for every high-risk employee enrolled.

Why this is an EIT Health project

This project coincides with EIT Health’s mission of promoting healthier living, It is especially in keeping with the EIT Health Focus Area of “Employer Leadership in Improving Health Outcomes in the Workplace”, as it is focused on reducing work-related health problems: It is also in keeping with the Focus Area of better “Health Care Pathways” as preventive measures can improve the course of a disease.

External Partners

• GetHelpNow GmbH
• HealtVision GnbH
• Future Health Technologies UG