CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE

OptumHealth’s Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) program is designed to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations and health care costs, and improve quality of life.

OptumHealth’s COPD program applies the best practices and clinical guidelines of the National Jewish Medical and Research Center. Interventions are supported by the GOLD and GOLD II guidelines (Global Initiative on Obstructive Lung Disease) from WHO (World Health Organization) and NHLBI (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) and includes:

• Comprehensive assessments by specialty-trained registered nurses to determine the appropriate level of intervention
• A personalized plan for helping the individual reduce risk factors, including smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke, and proactively recognize respiratory symptoms
• A focus on patient adherence to medication regimens and physician treatment plans
• Proactive outbound and responsive inbound nurse calls
• Alert reports are sent to physicians if significant issues are detected, and pre-visit reports are sent to facilitate data sharing on critical findings
• Biometric symptom monitoring available for the highest 15-20 percent of high acuity patients
• Medical director oversight to ensure adherence to national evidence-based medicine guidelines
• Management of risk factors and comorbidities including hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease (CAD) and depression
• Targeted educational materials

The COPD program has delivered the following results:

• 15% reduction in inpatient admissions
• 14.7% reduction in emergency room visits
• 97% satisfaction rate