The Future of AI at Medbridge: A Q&A with Medbridge’s Head of AI Paul Jaure

It’s been a big year for artificial intelligence (AI), and Medbridge is planning on taking our AI game to the next level in 2025. AI is already expanding what’s possible in digital MSK care, and we’re going all in on improving and personalizing the patient care experience with our recent acquisition of Rehab Boost, a pioneering motion capture and movement-based artificial intelligence company.

As we continue to invest and expand our AI capabilities, we wanted to offer a peek behind the curtains and answer some of the most common questions we hear about Medbridge and AI. I sat down with Paul Jaure, our Head of Artificial Intelligence and founder of Rehab Boost, to explore how Medbridge is using AI today, how—and where—AI fits into our vision, and his perspective on how AI will shape the future of the healthcare industry.

Sarah: Paul, we are absolutely thrilled to have your technology and your team joining Medbridge. Walk me through what gets you excited about the combination of Medbridge and Rehab Boost’s AI-driven motion capture technology. 

Paul: Earlier this year, we made the decision to join Medbridge to significantly scale our existing motion capture and AI technology and extend its impact across a broader range of healthcare applications. This ultimately gives Medbridge the unique advantage of having advanced motion capture and AI capability in-house, where we can incorporate it into the existing product suite, including our industry-leading continuing education and our hybrid care platform, Pathways.

With these cutting edge tools at our disposal, we can now aim to provide a personalized recovery plan for every patient. Pathways has been designed from the ground up to engage, educate, and guide patients—with the power of AI, we can now further customize our clinically-validated programs in seconds. This allows us to create a patient experience that is personalized to their unique individual needs, which the data shows leads to better outcomes.

Sarah: What role will AI Pathways assessments play in Medbridge’s future rehabilitation services?

Paul: We envision AI Pathways assessments playing a large role in the future of Medbridge’s rehabilitation services, supporting real-time patient assessments to create a unique and engaging user experience. With the right security and patient opt-in in place, our goal is to have AI working in the background to analyze patient data and identify and report instant assessment results. This will ensure personalized and evidence-based treatment plans that have the unique ability to adapt to each patient’s progress and needs.

For example, when a physical therapist uses Medbridge to evaluate a patient’s knee injury, an AI-assisted assessment function can be used to analyze the patient’s movements through our motion capture technology—another important piece of the AI puzzle.

Motion Capture (MoCap) is a technology that uses AI to accurately detect body parts, their positions, and track their movements captured by video recording devices. This data is then analyzed to interpret movement patterns and biomechanics. If you’ve ever seen a behind-the-scenes feature about how they use MoCap mapping to track the actor’s movement to bring the Hulk to life in a Marvel movie, you’ll have an idea of how the technology functions—thankfully with our motion capture technology, you won’t have to wear a blue body suit and tracking bulbs at home—just whatever you’re comfortable in.

Motion capture can be done in person in the clinic, or remotely. The assessment would identify any abnormalities or deviations from normal movement patterns based on vast data sets derived from previous users. The AI then provides the therapist with detailed insights and recommendations for targeted exercises and therapies based on the patient’s specific condition. The clinician is ultimately the best resource for making decisions about the patient’s treatment plan, but we can help by providing a curated treatment plan they can provide as-is, or adjust as necessary.

Sarah: That’s fascinating—so what I’m hearing is that AI will help ensure clinicians are provided the most comprehensive and accurate assessments, enabling care plans to be created in a fraction of the time. What about actual patient outcomes? How can Medbridge AI and motion capture technology improve patient outcomes?

Paul: Both our investments in AI and motion capture technology aim at improving access to the highest quality of care and improving patient outcomes. Our motion capture technology will allow for real-time monitoring and user feedback, which guides patients through an intuitive and engaging assessment that collects more accurate and comprehensive data. This then allows clinicians to make data-driven adjustments to treatment plans and improve overall patient outcomes. By doing this more efficiently, it allows clinicians to focus their time on more complex patient needs, and supporting more patients than was previously possible.

Sarah: Talk a little bit about the long-term vision for AI integration in Medbridge’s entire platform. We’re clearly starting with motion capture tech, but where are we going?

Paul: At Medbridge, we envision a future where AI seamlessly integrates with all sectors, and we’ve already started embedding AI as an architectural foundation to our Care and Educate pillars. Today we’ve focused on motion capture, in Educate, we’re adding closed captioning to improve accessibility for all, and there’s so much more to come.

The goal is to assist clinicians while enhancing the efficiency, accuracy, and effectiveness of processes and methodologies throughout our platform.

Sarah: What does AI integration mean for the human healthcare provider? Providers are still the most important piece of the puzzle here.

Paul: AI has been revolutionary for many industries, but it can’t replace the hands-on care that an expert therapist can provide. However, therapists are busy, wait times are long, and this is causing many patients to forego the care they need entirely. Adding to the urgency is the fact that by 2030, every member of the Baby Boomer generation will be Medicare-eligible—that’s 73 million people vying for the same healthcare resources. We know therapy-first, preventative care works best, so we want to utilize AI to streamline everything else so that we can enable trained clinicians to be able to handle this exponential rise and do what they do best—provide excellent patient care.

While processes like medical documentation are important and necessary, no one becomes a physical therapist to dive into the exciting world of documentation. We want to help automate these vital but rote tasks so clinicians can see more patients and help them get better, faster.

Sarah: You’ve been in this field for a while now. How is AI being used in the broader healthcare industry?

Paul: AI is revolutionizing healthcare by enabling more accurate diagnoses, personalized treatment plans, and efficient resource management. From predictive analytics that will anticipate health conditions based on movement assessments, to AI-driven tools that assist in treatment plans.  The technology is enhancing the precision and quality of care. As the healthcare industry increasingly adopts these innovations, Medbridge stands at the forefront by integrating AI to not only improve clinical outcomes but also streamline clinician processes, setting a benchmark for future advancements in the field.

Conclusion

What’s really exciting is that with all the AI innovations we’ve achieved this year, we’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible when you combine this rapidly evolving technology with clinical expertise. Stay tuned when I’ll be sharing more exciting updates in the coming months, and get ready for some exciting innovations in 2025.

Learn more about Pathways and watch our overview video here, or request a demo with our sales team to see Pathways in action.

Disclaimer: Please note, some of the material discussed are in the early stages of exploration and development. The timelines and functionalities mentioned are subject to change and may not be delivered as currently anticipated. Medbridge makes no guarantees regarding the final implementation or availability of the discussed technologies and features. For the most current and accurate information, please refer to our official communications or contact our sales team directly.