VALDOSTA, GA – New research published in Journal for Clinical Sleep Medicine offers new hope to health systems struggling to meet 30-day COPD readmissions standards. The study from Barnes Healthcare Services determined a COPD patient management program, including non-invasive ventilators and an in-home care program, reduced the readmission rate by 97% during the subsequent 12 months.
While previous studies have shown patients (and their caregivers) prefer and thrive with at-home care, the results of this study offer a new insight into the right combination of care management and non-invasive ventilation to effectively reduce return trips to the hospital.
The study, funded and co-authored by Philips (Booth #2233 at Medtrade), entitled “Retrospective Assessment of Home Ventilation to Reduce Rehospitalization in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease” and authored by Steven Coughlin, PhD, Wei Liang, PhD, and Sairam Parthasarathy, MD, examined 397 patients who had all been hospitalized at least twice in a single year with an acute COPD exacerbation. Each patient was prescribed a Trilogy ventilator manufactured by Philips Respironics for home use. Continued in-home care consisted of medication management, oxygen therapy, patient education and ongoing respiratory therapist care in the home.
The results are impressive. The proportion of COPD patients who were readmitted on two or more occasions decreased from 100 percent (397 of 397) in the year prior to initiation of intervention to 2.2 percent (9 of 397) in the following year.
“The results of this study indicate that Philips Trilogy with an advanced mode of ventilation AVAPs-AE therapy – in combination with respiratory therapist-led care, medication reconciliation and adequate provision of oxygen therapy – assisted in stabilizing the respiratory condition of patients with COPD,” said Amy Day, RRT, director of Ventilation Management of Barnes Healthcare Services. “Such better management of the COPD condition allows health systems to not only significantly reduce readmissions and the associated high costs, but also improve the quality of life for some of its most complex patients.”
Brightree Named to Inc 5000 for Sixth Consecutive Year
ATLANTA – Inc. magazine has listed Brightree on its 34th annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. Brightree® (Booth #1345 at Medtrade), a provider of cloud-based clinical, billing and business management software solutions for the post-acute care industry, was ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2011 to 2014. During this timeframe, Brightree experienced a 128% growth rate, with revenue of $96.6 million in 2014.
“We are honored to be recognized on the Inc. 5000 list for the sixth year in a row as this achievement recognizes the talent, dedication and passion of our employees in creating innovative solutions for the post-acute healthcare market,” said Dave Cormack, president and CEO of Brightree. “As post-acute care continues to transform U.S. healthcare, we continually strive to enable home medical equipment (HME), home health, and hospice providers with the right technology and services to reduce costs, protect reimbursements, and improve patient care.”