The business case for hospital mobility programs in the veterans health care system: Results from multi-hospital implementation of the STRIDE program

Objective

To conduct a business case analysis for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program STRIDE (ASsisTed EaRly MobIlization for hospitalizeD older VEterans), which was designed to address immobility for hospitalized older adults.

Data Sources and Study Setting

This was a secondary analysis of primary data from a VA 8-hospital implementation trial conducted by the Function and Independence Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI). In partnership with VA operational partners, we estimated resources needed for program delivery in and out of the VA as well as national implementation facilitation in the VA. A scenario analysis using wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics informs implementation decisions outside the VA.

Study Design

This budget impact analysis compared delivery and implementation costs for two implementation strategies (Replicating Effective Programs [REP]+CONNECT and REP-only). To simulate national budget scenarios for implementation, we estimated the number of eligible hospitalizations nationally and varied key parameters (e.g., enrollment rates) to evaluate the impact of uncertainty.

Data Collection

Personnel time and implementation outcomes were collected from hospitals (2017–2019). Hospital average daily census and wage data were estimated as of 2022 to improve relevance to future implementation.

Principal Findings

Average implementation costs were $9450 for REP+CONNECT and $5622 for REP-only; average program delivery costs were less than $30 per participant in both VA and non-VA hospital settings. Number of walks had the most impact on delivery costs and ranged from 1 to 5 walks per participant. In sensitivity analyses, cost increased to $35 per participant if a physical therapist assistant conducts the walks. Among study hospitals, mean enrollment rates were higher among the REP+CONNECT hospitals (12%) than the REP-only hospitals (4%) and VA implementation costs ranged from $66 to $100 per enrolled.

Conclusions

STRIDE is a low-cost intervention, and program participation has the biggest impact on the resources needed for delivering STRIDE.

Trial Registration

ClinicalsTrials.gov NCT03300336. Prospectively registered on 3 October 2017.