Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
According to the National Institutes of
Health, COPD is estimated to affect 12.1 million
adults ages 25 and older and is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. COPD is also called emphysema, chronic bronchitis,
or chronic obstructive bronchitis. COPD is a slowly progressive
disease of the airways with gradual loss of lung function. The most
important way to prevent COPD and stop the disease from getting worse - is
to avoid smoking. St. John's offers your employees a
comprehensive approach to the prevention, treatment and management of COPD.
COPD Program Goals
Identify patients and provide early intervention
Improve the enrollee’s quality of life and self-care through educationDecrease the rate of hospital admissions, ER and urgent care visits
for COPD and respiratory related problemsIncrease the rate of influenza and pneumonia vaccines
COPD Resources and Interventions
Telephonic COPD program in fall and winter months for HIGH
risk people with COPD (High risk is defined as persons having had
a hospital admission for COPD or a respiratory problem). Patients
are contacted by registered nurses at various time intervals (one or two
weeks or monthly) to check on their current symptoms, provide patient
education and recommend medical care or medication based on their
symptoms.Annual flu shots and remindersPulmonary rehabilitation classes by referral
Smoking cessation resourcesPatient education materialsDisease management educational symposium for health care providersNewsletter providing current clinical information for health
care providersCase management by referral
COPD Outcome Measures
Percent of members who have received an annual influenza
vaccineRate of ER and urgent care visitsRate of respiratory related hospital admissionsHelpful Links
National Jewish Center COPD Education ResourcesNational Library of Medicine Medline Plus COPD Health Information Resource
Page
|