Published on: 2026-08-24
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
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Patients with knee pain in Moscow can now undergo diagnostics faster and start effective treatment thanks to a unified medical pathway and an intelligent appointment system at the clinic. The new approach, already tested by 20 thousand people, covers the process from the initial complaint to the necessary treatment under continuous doctor supervision. This was reported by Anastasia Rakova, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Social Development.
“In Moscow, we are creating unified medical care pathways so that patients receive the necessary treatment more quickly. Now, such an algorithm has also been implemented for patients with gonarthrosis — one of the most common joint diseases diagnosed in our clinics. There are many approaches to diagnosing and treating knee pain with varying proven effectiveness. To provide Muscovites with the fastest and most effective approach, leading city specialists developed a unified algorithm. It covers the entire process — from smart reception at the clinic, routing to hospital specialists and intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid preparations to surgery and subsequent monitoring over several months. The unified pathway, which has already been followed by 20 thousand people, sets the sequence of actions but leaves the doctor the option to choose an individual treatment strategy if the patient’s condition requires it. We are now continuing to improve each stage of the project,” said Anastasia Rakova.
As part of the smart admission process when making an appointment with a clinic doctor, patients complaining of poor health or pain undergo an online survey to clarify symptoms. Based on the complaints provided, the AI service analyzes the patient’s electronic medical record and then generates a brief summary for the doctor about the patient’s history of visits, test results and prescriptions, and ambulance calls for this case, which helps the doctor better prepare for the appointment.
Since April this year, for patients who report knee pain in the survey, the system analyzes the data electronic medical record and checks for the presence of up-to-date X-ray results or open referrals for it, takes into account the accumulated radiation exposure over the year, and also verifies information about undergoing instrumental examinations in medical institutions not connected to the unified medical information and analytical system (EMIAS). For female patients, pregnancy status is additionally checked. As a result, if necessary and in the absence of contraindications, the system generates the required referral for the examination before the doctor’s visit. This helps to avoid situations where the specialist’s only task during the appointment is to issue a referral.
Now the patient comes to the doctor with a ready diagnostic database, and the specialist can immediately make a clinical decision. For five thousand people, the system itself opened referrals for radiological diagnostics. For three and a half thousand, the diagnosis was not confirmed. Two hundred people with pronounced osteoarthritis were referred to inpatient care, and the rest—to the local doctor for prescribed medication therapy. All patients were seen by the necessary specialist on the first try.
Hyaluronic acid injections into the knee joint have also been included in the unified treatment algorithm. Whereas previously such procedures were prescribed at the doctor’s discretion, now they are given to all those who need them, based on uniform criteria. In the second stage of the disease, injections are prescribed if the primary treatment has not been effective, and in the third stage — if joint replacement surgery is contraindicated for the patient.
The patient is referred to one of the five centers of competence — City Clinical Hospitals No. 31 named after Academician G.M. Savelyeva, named after A.K. Yeramishantsev, named after S.S. Yudin, named after V.P. Demikhov, or the Moscow Multidisciplinary Scientific and Clinical Center named after S.P. Botkin.
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Thanks to digitalization, information about the performed procedure is immediately sent to the clinic. Then doctors monitor the patient’s condition within telemedicine consultations — after two to three weeks and after three to four months. This way they can assess whether the pain has decreased and, if necessary, promptly adjust the treatment.
If, based on the examination results, surgery is required, the doctor creates an electronic request for scheduled hospitalization within the framework of the “Smart Hospitalization” project. Additionally, the patient in the “EMIAS. INFO” application or electronic medical record On the mos.ru portal, in the section of the same name, one can select the hospital and the operation date, as well as track the application status online. In all complex clinical cases, the decision is made by the chief freelance traumatologist-orthopedist of Moscow.
Moscow has been engaged in the digitalization of the healthcare system for over 10 years. The foundation of this process is a unified digital platform developed by the city’s departments of healthcare and information technology. The unified pathway reflects the philosophy of healthy longevity: digital solutions help continuously support a person—from the first complaint and diagnosis to treatment, evaluation of its results, and subsequent monitoring. This approach aligns with the goals of the national project. “A long and active life”. More details about Russia’s national projects and the capital’s contribution can be found at special page.
To learn how the capital has changed in recent years, what initiatives that make citizens’ lives even more comfortable are currently being implemented, and what awaits Moscow and its residents in the near future, you can find in large-scale special project on the portal mos.ru, dedicated to the development of the capital’s key sectors. Among them are transport, industry, healthcare, education, sports, and construction.
On the project page “Healthcare” it is possible to learn about how the reconstruction of city polyclinics and hospitals took place, as well as about the implementation of digital services and technologies based on artificial intelligence.
Promptly learn the main news on the official channels of the city of Moscow in messengers “Max” and “Telegram”.
Please note; This information is raw content received directly from the information source. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.