Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive lung condition that makes breathing difficult for millions worldwide. While there is no cure, early identification and preventive care can help slow disease progression and improve quality of life. This article explores the benefits of COPD remote patient monitoring in preventive care, increasing patient quality of life, and reducing unplanned hospitalizations.
What is COPD?
COPD is a group of progressive respiratory disorders that make breathing difficult. It is not contagious and is generally preventable. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, affecting nearly 16 million Americans.
In its early stages, symptoms of COPD may not be noticeable. Therefore, many people move through life unaware they have it. Individuals often only seek medical attention once COPD develops and symptoms become problematic. The question becomes, how can clinicians help their patients identify COPD early and minimize its effects? Fortunately, COPD remote patient monitoring is one solution that aids early identification.
COPD Remote Patient Monitoring
Currently, there is no cure for COPD, and lung damage cannot be fully reversed. However, early identification, prompt treatment, and healthy lifestyle changes can help prevent COPD from worsening and improve quality of life. This is where COPD remote patient monitoring can help.
Remote patient monitoring is a facet of telemedicine, and it is commonly used in advanced care at home programs. RPM uses FDA-cleared medical devices to measure health sign data like lung capacity and blood-oxygen levels from home. The patient is responsible for adhering to taking regular vital sign measurements with prescribe health devices.
RPM devices such as a spirometer, pulse oximeter, or peak flow meter automatically send real-time readings to a RPM dashboard where the clinician can access a patient’s data. At-home measurement of key lung health indicators like capacity and blood oxygen levels help clinicians see fluctuations in health readings.
Clinicians can set parameters to receive alerts when a patient’s reading is too high or low. This enables quick action to prevent symptoms from worsening. When patients are monitored between visits, health data accumulates and aids in medical decision-making.
What Does Research Say?
Research conducted by Pulmonary Associates of Richmond and Spire Health examined 126 patients who had been using COPD remote patient monitoring for at least a year.
Key findings:
- 65% decrease in all-cause hospitalizations
- 63.6% reduction in cardiopulmonary hospitalizations
- 44.3% decrease in emergency room visits
- Patient adherence to the program was high, with 88.6% of days meeting the 8-hour daily wear requirement.
The researchers concluded that RPM intervention effectively lowered hospitalization rates among COPD patients in the year following implementation.
A BMJ report showed that RPM reduced acute care use among cardiovascular and COPD patients. Furthermore, the study underscores the advantages of remote patient monitoring in increasing patient quality of life.
Managing COPD with Remote Patient Monitoring
The key to effectively managing chronic conditions like COPD is to focus on proactive care over reactive care. The benefits of COPD remote patient monitoring include the following.
- Quality healthcare becomes more accessible and convenient.
- Allowing clinicians to manage more patients and efficiently use their time and resources.
- Reducing the risk of hospitalization by focusing on prevention over treatment.
- Encouraging patients to engage in healthier lifestyle choices.
- Reducing overall healthcare costs.
The following sections describe how COPD patients can benefit from at-home spirometry, pulse oximetry monitoring, and peak flow monitoring.
Spirometry
Spirometry assesses how well the lungs work by measuring the amount of air you breathe in and out and how quickly you exhale. Patients can use spirometers for COPD remote patient monitoring. A spirometer is non-invasive and easy to use. All the patient does is take a deep breath and blows into the mouthpiece as hard and fast as possible.
Frequent lung capacity measurements help clinicians monitor at-risk patients between visits and stop on top of their symptoms. Additionally, clinicians can monitor how patients are responding to their treatments. If lung capacity continues to worsen, clinicians can promptly adjust treatment plans.
Pulse Oximetry
Pulse oximetry determines how well a patient’s lungs function by using light to measure oxygen levels in red blood cells. Blood oxygen levels are typically tested at the fingertips with a pulse oximeter. The measurement shows how well oxygen is distributed to areas furthest from the heart.
Because symptoms of mild COPD aren’t always apparent, people can experience critical drops in blood-oxygen levels and not even know it. Using a pulse oximeter for COPD remote patient monitoring allows physicians to see this reading daily. If a patient’s blood oxygen saturation level (SpO2) is under 90%, the RPM platform will automatically alert the clinician for quick intervention.
Remote Peak Flow Monitoring
At home peak flow meters measure peak expiratory flow using Bluetooth or cellular RPM devices. Measuring FEV1 is the gold standard for monitoring lung function. A recent pilot study showed that 70% of participants completed their twice-daily measurements, while 85% performed at least one measurement daily.
When patient data is captured on the RPM medical device, it is transmitted securely to a clinician’s software portal. Many RPM devices offer patients easy-to-use tools that help engage active participation in care management.
The Tenovi Peak Flow Meter (PFM) is a Bluetooth-enabled RPM device that automatically sends peak expiratory flow rate (PEF) and 1-second forced expiratory volume (FEV1) through its cellular-connected Gateway.
Understanding COPD and Remote Patient Monitoring
Ultimately, COPD remote patient monitoring allows clinicians to monitor at-risk, chronic care, acute care, and palliative care patients between visits for optimal care. Because symptoms of COPD aren’t always noticeable, frequent monitoring of lung capacity or blood oxygen levels can promote early detection and timely treatment.
Increased access to Principal Illness Navigation Services (PIN) implemented in the 2024 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services enables practices to be more proactive and aligned with the broader goals of improving patient COPD outcomes through a more person-centered approach. Organizations are eager to understand how billing for PIN services will work in conjunction with existing chronic care management and behavioral health billing codes.
Tenovi serves companies interested in offering remote patient monitoring solutions to healthcare providers. If you have questions or want to try our platform, please contact us for a demo.
