How Sana Addressed Rising MSK Costs with Carrum Health
An solution with real savings and superior member satisfaction
Sana, a modern health benefits provider for small businesses, partnered with Carrum Health to implement a musculoskeletal (MSK) solution that could deliver real ROI. With musculoskeletal care for employers becoming a top concern due to rising costs, Sana sought an approach that combined quality, access, and affordability—resulting in a compelling model for self-insured employer health benefits strategies.
About Sana
- Headquartered in Austin, TX
- 30,000+ covered lives
- Partnered with Carrum Health since 2022
- Provides medical, dental, vision, and integrative care solutions
Sana focuses on delivering accessible, high-quality care to small businesses through innovative partnerships, including MSK programs tailored for improved outcomes.
Challenge: MSK pain and rising costs
By 2021, musculoskeletal conditions were one of Sana’s highest cost categories. Nearly 1 in 5 of their members had MSK-related claims—placing growing pressure on their healthcare cost containment efforts. Sana’s existing MSK program lacked sufficient provider coverage and failed to engage members effectively.
These gaps directly impacted their HR team’s healthcare benefits strategy, requiring a shift toward a value-based, high-engagement solution that would improve outcomes and help reduce surgery costs for their employer partners.
Challenges included:
• Low utilization of their previous MSK care program
• Limited access to high-quality MSK care providers in Texas
• Friction due to out-of-network policies
• Ineffective engagement with employees
Sana was committed to offering an MSK program that was data-driven and highly accessible.
Solution: MSK employer program designed for results
Sana selected Carrum Health due to its robust COE network, aligned incentives, and easy-to-navigate platform for both HR teams and members. The program aligned with Sana’s vision of a surgical benefit add-on for employers that could integrate with their digital health ecosystem, reduce unnecessary procedures, and maximize ROI.
Their partnership with Carrum included:
- Streamlined access to integrative musculoskeletal care near many of Sana’s members
- A plan design targeting overused procedures like spinal fusion
- Technical integrations to increase adoption
- Ecosystem partnerships with providers like Sword for virtual physical therapy
The launch was supported by webinars, employer engagement, and a seamless member onboarding process.
“Through this partnership… we were able to dip our toe into network benefit restrictions. That flexibility was incredibly powerful.”
— Agata Kowalski, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Sana
Sana partnered with Carrum Health to curb rising MSK costs and improve care access for its growing member base. The case study shows how a tailored COE solution delivered measurable savings, better outcomes, and high member satisfaction—demonstrating a scalable approach to value-based care for small business health plans.