Breathing Life into an Established COPD Program

In 2006, HPC Healthcare implemented a COPD Program, which focused on patient education, rapid clinical response and staff training.  Although disease management programs are not unique in hospice care, the introduction of a respiratory therapist (RT) as an essential component of the COPD patient’s comprehensive assessment was unusual.  The RT’s evaluations, coupled with trends noted by clinical pharmacists, led to further enhancements to the COPD Program that incorporated evidence-based standards of care.  These resulted in the development of “COPD management principles” that improved quality of life and incidentally reduced costs. Easy-to-use medication/treatment protocols were implemented to reduce medication burden while ensuring that patients were receiving appropriate therapy. Widespread education about the protocols included extensive training on the use of BiPAP for symptom management in this population.