Use of Remote Cardiorespiratory Monitoring is Associated with a Reduction in Hospitalizations for Subjects with COPD

• Published in: International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Vol. 18; pp. 219 - 229
• Main Authors: Polsky, Michael, Moraveji, Neema, Hendricks, Ashley, Teresi, Robert K, Murray, Richard, Maselli, Diego J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Zealand Dove Medical Press Limited 01.01.2023; Dove Medical Press Ltd; Dove; Dove Medical Press
• Subjects: admissions; Aged; Analysis; Chronic diseases; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; copd; Data collection; Emergency medical services; exacerbations; Health Care Costs; Hospitalization; hospitalizations; Hospitals; Humans; Intervention; Length of stay; Lung diseases; Medicaid; Medical care; Medical research; Medicare; Medicine, Experimental; Original Research; Patient admissions; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - complications; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - diagnosis; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - therapy; remote patient monitoring; Respiratory diseases; Retrospective Studies; Risk assessment; Sensors; Statistical analysis; Underwear; United States; Utilization; United States; United States > US; remote patient monitoring; physiology; admissions; exacerbations; hospitalizations; COPD
• ISSN: 1178-2005; 1176-9106; 1178-2005
• DOI: 10.2147/COPD.S388049

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is prevalent and results in high healthcare resource utilization. The largest impact on health status and proportion of healthcare costs in COPD are related to hospitalizations for acute exacerbations. Accordingly, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have advocated for remote patient monitoring (RPM) to aid in chronic disease management. However, there has been a lack of evidence for the effectiveness of RPM in reducing the need for unplanned hospitalizations for patients with COPD. This pre/post study was a retrospective analysis of unplanned hospitalizations in a cohort of COPD subjects started on RPM at a large, outpatient pulmonary practice. The study included all subjects with at least one unplanned, all-cause hospitalization or emergency room visit in the prior year, who had elected to enroll in an RPM service for assistance with clinical management. Additional inclusion criteria included being on RPM for at least 12 months and a patient of the practice for at least two years (12 months pre- and post-initiation of RPM). The study included 126 subjects. RPM was associated with a significantly lower rate of unplanned hospitalizations per patient per year (1.09 ± 0.07 versus 0.38 ± 0.06, <0.001). Unplanned, all-cause hospitalization rates were lower in subjects started on RPM for COPD when compared to their prior year. These results support the potential of RPM to improve the long-term management of COPD.