Inside the West Health Accelerator at Mass General Brigham: Advancing Mobility for Older Adults

At Mass General Brigham, improving mobility is a key focus of hospital care for older adults. Through its systemwide initiatives, the West Health Accelerator at Mass General Brigham is spearheading efforts to equip care teams with tools, streamlined workflows, and training that help older adults stay active, maintain strength and return home ready to resume their lives. 

 Integrating Mobility into Every Patient Encounter 

Mobility is one of the 4Ms — mobility, mentation, medication, and what matters — a set of proven practices that guide the right care for older adults. For the Accelerator, integrating the 4Ms into every inpatient encounter ensures care that is comprehensive and patient-centered. Mobility is a critical component because it shapes everything from recovery time to quality of life. When older adults spend extended periods in bed, they can lose significant muscle mass in just a few days. This loss can lead to prolonged recovery, reduced independence, or a discharge to rehab rather than home. 

“As we age, mobility is so important in terms of doing what matters to us,” says Andrea Wershof Schwartz, MD, a geriatrician at Mass General Brigham and education strategy lead for the West Health Champions program. “A hospitalization can be a key turning point. If patients come in already weakened, bedrest accelerates muscle loss. That can have lasting consequences.” Dr. Schwartz notes that a narrow focus on fall prevention may unintentionally worsen outcomes. “If we keep our patients in bed, then they have a higher risk of falls. Ironically, our best efforts can sometimes make things worse.” 

Making Mobility Every Clinician’s Responsibility 

To change this trajectory, the Accelerator is helping shift the culture across the Mass General Brigham system — reframing mobility as everyone’s responsibility, not just the job of physical therapy. Through the West Health Champions program, clinicians from all professions are learning how to assess mobility needs, identify barriers, and support movement safely and frequently. A nursing-led Mobility Matters team is developing standardized mobility guidelines that will be adopted across Mass General Brigham’s nine hospitals, ensuring that every patient receives consistent, quality care regardless of where they are admitted.  

The Accelerator is also implementing evidence-based tools that help teams recognize changes in mobility early. AM-PAC (the Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care) helps nurses understand a patient’s functional status and plan for appropriate support after discharge. The Mobility Speedometer — created with Mass General Brigham’s Springboard Studio team — provides patients, families, and staff with a clear visual cue of mobility goals. These tools reinforce a shared understanding of mobility expectations and keep movement at the center of care.  

System enhancements, including hardwired Epic-based prompts such as “Out of Bed for Meals,” and automatic age-appropriate medication dosing, further support safe mobility by reducing sedation and encouraging frequent activity. 

The teams are also learning to address the full range of factors that influence mobility, from nutrition and hydration to vision, blood pressure changes, footwear, and the proper use of assistive devices. This comprehensive approach recognizes that mobility isn’t just physical — it’s an outcome shaped by attention to the whole person. 

Setting a New Standard for Inpatient Care 

Looking ahead, West Health Champions are developing quality improvement projects tailored to their clinical settings. These efforts will build on baseline data, identify opportunities for improvement, and drive measurable progress in mobility outcomes across the system. 

Through this coordinated work, the West Health Accelerator at Mass General Brigham is setting a new standard for inpatient care for older adults — one where mobility is protected, promoted, and prioritized so older adults can return to their lives with strength, confidence and dignity.