Franciscan Health Indianapolis Program Takes Aim At Reducing COPD Readmissions

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana - For most of its sufferers, it's like breathing through a small straw. There's no doubt that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a serious ailment and it affects more than 16 million Americans.

COPD is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes obstructed airflow to the lungs. Its symptoms include breathing difficulty, cough, mucus production and wheezing. Its causes typically are related to long-term exposure to irritating gases or particulate matter, most often from cigarette smoke Folks with COPD are at high risk of having lung cancer, heart disease and other  risk of developing heart disease, lung cancer, emphysema, chronic bronchitis and a variety of other illnesses. 

And people with this disease are at heightened risk of being hospitalized. That's why Franciscan Health in Indianapolis established a COPD Clinic and program. It's geared to not only curb hospitalizations and readmissions.

"We recognized there was serious need to bring down our number of readmissions to align with requirements from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services," said Aaron Bruns, MD, a pulmonologist and critical care expert who practices at Franciscan Health Indianapolis. "So, we established a comprehensive approach in early 2021 to address the challenge."

The program, which is one of the few of its kind in central Indiana, takes aim at working more closely with patients hospitalized with COPD and ensure their treatment regimen stays on track before and after discharge. This involves educating them on the proper use of prescribed medications and other therapies as determined by Dr. Bruns and team stays in touch with patients well after they have left the hospital. 

Many COPD conditions are treated with inhalers (bronchodilators), which relax the muscles surrounding airways. Depending on the severity of a person's disease this might involve the use of a short-acting inhaler make be used before activities, a long-acting bronchodilator used every day, or a combination of both.

"It's vital the medications are taken properly and conditions monitored closely," Dr. Bruns said. "One of the biggest obstacles patients face is that the medications are very expensive and not fully covered by health insurance. We work directly with these companies and try to reduce those costs the best we can."

CMS' Hospital Readmission Reduction defines a hospital readmission as an admission to an acute care hospital within 30 days of discharge from the same or another acute care hospital. program supports the national goal of improving health care for Americans by linking payment to the quality of hospital care.

Since the launch of the Franciscan COPD Clinic, the readmission rate has plummeted steeply below CMS requirements. 

"The numbers have been impressive, and we have improved our ability to keep patients out of the hospital," said Dr. Bruns, who regularly sees about 100 patients with COPD conditions. 

The success of the clinic coincides with November's designation as National COPD Awareness Month, which promotes educating the public about the disease and the importance of early diagnosis and treatment.

As mentioned earlier, tobacco use is the leading cause of COPD. Franciscan Health offers a resource to help users kick the habit. Aspire Quit Smoking and Vaping Program is a highly successful program and has help countless tobacco users.