OBJECTIVES: MR-001 is an investigational, at-home rehabilitation system designed to improve walking and ambulation status in adults with chronic stroke. A budget impact model (BIM) was developed to evaluate the economic impact associated with the reimbursement of MR-001 from a US payer perspective.

METHODS: A BIM with a 1-year time horizon was developed to estimate the total costs to payers, including treatment costs and overall healthcare resource use (HCRU) associated with the management of patients with walking impairments in chronic stroke. The model uses a top-down, stroke prevalence- and incidence-based approach and projected market shares for a 1-million member US payer. Current treatment practices available such as physiotherapy, exercise (self-directed), or no treatment are considered in the model; market share estimates are informed by retrospective claims analyses. Impacts to HCRU across treatments are driven by changes in walking speed, based on literature linking improvements of 0.1 m/s in walking speed to an annual HCRU reduction of $1,982.49. The model also considers clinical outcomes, including conversion to community ambulation status. Economic outcomes are calculated as total incremental cost to the payer, costs per-member per-month (PMPM) and per-indicated member per-month (PIMPM).

RESULTS: Reimbursing MR-001 for chronic stroke rehabilitation to improve walking and ambulation status was associated with cost-savings. The cost of MR-001 was offset by the reduction in HCRU driven by the improvement in walking speed associated with the use of MR-001. In sensitivity analyses, further cost-savings were observed when costs associated with recurrent stroke and long-term care home admission were considered.

CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant unmet need in the chronic stroke population for effective treatments to improve walking and reduce HCRU. Results from this BIM suggest that MR-001 should be considered by health plans as a cost-saving intervention to improve walking and ambulation status in people with chronic stroke.