Hospitalization of patients with COPD creates a huge burden on the healthcare system―to the tune of an estimated $50 billion in associated costs^{1, 2}. And hospitalizations are at an all-time high – with the 30-day readmission rate for patients with chronic COPD ranging from 20-39%^3-5. A recent Philips-funded study revealed that while positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy was associated with a reduction in hospitalization, a staggering 92% of patients studied were not receiving it in any form.

The retrospective study led by Dr. Sairam Parthasarathy, professor of medicine and interim chief of Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine with University of Arizona College of Medicine, revealed that only 7.5 percent of some 1,881,652 COPD patients analyzed were receiving any form of PAP therapy.

There are multiple modes of PAP treatment which can be administered at home to help people alleviate symptoms of respiratory illness. The study reviewed administrative claims data suggesting that individuals receiving either Bi-level (BiPAP), continuous (CPAP) or noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIV) therapy in the home (n = 48,856) experienced lower hospitalization risk than before therapy initiation, as well as lower hospitalization risk than those who did not receive any positive airway pressure therapy at all.