Avoid unnecessary spine surgery

Spinely is a platform that puts you in control of your spine care journey.

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What's the problem?

A lot of spine surgery is unnecessary. This costs us billions of dollars per year, and causes untold suffering to patients.

How did we get here?

Information Silos

Patients don’t have the information they need to make good spine care decisions.

Information Silos

Patients don’t have the information they need to make good spine care decisions.

Misaligned Incentives

Spine surgeons often don’t have the patient’s best interest at heart.

Misaligned Incentives

Spine surgeons often don’t have the patient’s best interest at heart.

What's our solution?

Demystify your spine

Understand what your MRI report and scan actually show

Demystify your spine

Understand what your MRI report and scan actually show

Understand your symptoms

So that you and your doctor can identify the appropriate treatment

Understand your symptoms

So that you and your doctor can identify the appropriate treatment

Honestly assess yourself

So that you can feel better sooner and avoid unnecessary treatment

Honestly assess yourself

So that you can feel better sooner and avoid unnecessary treatment

FAQ

How does Spinely help you avoid unnecessary spine care?

The Spinely platform empowers you to take control of your care. First, we let you assess and understand your symptoms. Then, we inform you about care options and whether surgery is likely to help or harm you. Ultimately, our goal is to give you the confidence and information to make the right decision

How does Spinely help patients understand their MRI?

There are two parts to an MRI scan. One part is the MRI report – which is a document produced by the radiologist who read the study for the imaging center. Unfortunately, the MRI report is usually filled with so much medical jargon that a patient is unable to understand it. Another part of the MRI is the scan itself – which is the images a spine surgeon would use to decide what treatment to recommend. Spinely helps patients understand both of these parts by reviewing the MRI and providing a report in plain English and we also show the patient a key image from their MRI and explain the findings. Most importantly, Spinely gives the patient an understanding of whether or not their MRI shows a problem that should (or should NOT) be treated with surgery.

How should patients choose a spine surgeon?

There are three things to think about when choosing a surgeon: their intellectual, technical and ethical traits. The intellectual part can sometimes be guessed by where a surgeon went to school or where they were trained. Unfortunately, this does NOT mean much in terms of whether this is the right surgeon to choose. A surgeon’s technical skill (how good they are with their hands in surgery) is an important factor, but it is very hard for a patient to discern this, and it is also not the most important factor. At Spinely, we believe the most important factor to consider is the ethical characteristics of your surgeon – do they have the patient’s best interest at heart? Unfortunately, the answer is often “no”. At Spinely, we have developed a unique algorithm (based on a number of data points) that can help patients answer this important question.

Does using the Spinely app replace the need to see a spine surgeon?

NO! Spinely is not meant to replace the care of a qualified, ethical spine provider. It is meant as a patient aid and educational tool that empowers patients to make better decisions in their spine care.

What does Spinely do with my data?

Spinely only uses a patient’s data to help educate that patient about their spine care. The characteristics of a patient’s spine problem are also used to place that patient in a Spinely group so that they can communicate with others who have their same problem. Any other use of patient data would only be with the consent of the patient.