Economic value of advanced home NIV for severe COPD patients proven significant

A study evaluating the economic impact of adopting home NIV as part of a multifaceted intervention program for severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) revealed positive and promising results for patients, providers and payers¹.

Significant decreases in both hospital and payer costs and hospitalization rates for severe COPD¹ patients were achieved in the Philips-sponsored study entitled, “Cost Savings from Reduced Hospitalizations with Use of Home Noninvasive Ventilation for COPD.”

COPD presents an increasing challenge to patients and healthcare systems. It’s a major cause of morbidity and mortality, the most common cause for readmissions, and is responsible for substantial increase in healthcare costs. In total, the economic burden of COPD is expected to be $50 billion by 2020².

“Evolving our current approach to chronic COPD treatment as a health community is imperative,” said Dr. Teofilo Lee-Chiong, pulmonologist and Chief Medical Liaison, Philips. “We believe that de-escalating the level of care when patients are discharged from the hospital increases the likelihood of readmissions and increasing healthcare costs. This study shows that there can possibly be significant economic advantages to continuing care at home for patients who require frequent hospitalizations for COPD exacerbations.”

The study reviewed how hospitals and payers can more efficiently and effectively manage COPD treatment and related comorbidities by implementing an advanced mode of NIV in the home care setting. This was reviewed in a multifaceted program that incorporates a combination of therapies including treatment using advanced NIV therapy provided by Philips Trilogy100 (AVAPS-AE modality), oxygen therapy, respiratory therapist-led care, patient education and medication reconciliation. While there were some limitations to the study such as the use of a set of assumptions and data sources that may not be generalizable to all institutions and the limited set of scenarios that were tested, this at-home program shows its potential to provide both hospitals and payers with tremendous savings¹ while also offering the patient an at-home treatment option. 

Specifically, within the study parameters, the use of home advanced NIV as part of multifaceted approach can possibly provide:

• Opportunity for cost savings to hospital in terms of 30-day readmissions¹
• Opportunity for 3-year cumulative cost savings to payers in terms of admissions¹
• And implications to health care coverage, e.g., shift from Fee-for-service to Value-based coverage, and penalties for 30-day readmissions¹
   

Concluded Dr. Lee, "The multifaceted and connected home NIV model described in this study can be easily adopted by other medical facilities and payers, and is expected to have a meaningful impact on both clinical outcomes and healthcare costs. As health systems continue to promote value-based care, it is increasingly important to demonstrate that programs like these can reduce costs while improving patient experiences."