Today, COPD care teams are effectively managing patients within each care setting. However, as value-based standards continue to rise, this is no longer enough. Teams face the vital need to drive better outcomes by integrating care between settings. Unfortunately, this extension of care will demand more resources that care teams simply don’t have.
Examples of resource limitations:
- RT limitations: Respiratory therapists can provide great value in bridging COPD care gaps, but, as Amy Shaheen points out, they can’t be everywhere at once. “I think the RT has a definite role in hospitals, emergency rooms, and pulmonary practices,” says Dr. Shaheen. “But from a cost-effectiveness standpoint, it's not feasible to place them in a primary care practice, unless it’s a massive practice of 30,000 to 50,000 people.”