LOS ANGELES – With a handful of common-sense steps, the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center reduced 30-day hospital readmissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from 17.4/1,000 in Dec. 2013 to 11.9/1,000 in Dec. 2015.
The 57 readmissions avoided in 2015 saved the medical center $700,359, according to a report at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians.
Alexander Otto/Frontline Medical News
Augusto Cam (left) and Dr. Luis Moreta-Sainz
The quality improvement project – dubbed KP Breath – started in 2013 after staff realized their COPD readmission rates were significantly higher than other area hospitals, and likely to increase. “We knew we had a problem, and that if we did not address it, it was going to be out of control,” Mr. Cam said. There was also the risk of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services penalties for COPD readmissions.
Mr. Cam and his colleagues discovered several problems. “Leaving the hospital, [COPD patients] didn’t know what medication was for what, or their medication schedule. They didn’t know how to use their inhalers, and didn’t understand what the disease process was all about, and what it was doing to them,” he said.
There was little continuity of care after discharge; many patients didn’t even have a pulmonologist. Essentially, COPD patients were lost to follow-up until they returned to the emergency department with another exacerbation.
A rapid Plan, Do, Study, Act cycle was the first step; it identified solutions that would work based on COPD management guidelines and published studies. “They were all things that have been shown to reduce rehospitalizations,” said pulmonologist Luis Moreta-Sainz, MD, another key project member.
The team staggered their changes over 2 years. Pulmonary consults for acute exacerbation admissions shot up, and respiratory therapists started to stop by to educate almost every COPD patient about medication use, trigger avoidance, and other matters. Patients began watching educational videos from their bed.
Changes were made after discharge, too. “We felt strongly that pulmonary rehabilitation needed to be an integral part of care, and that patients had to be connected to the pulmonary clinic,” Dr. Moreta-Sainz said.
Patients were booked for a pulmonologist at the clinic soon after they left the hospital, and greeted there by their COPD navigator – a respiratory therapist operating at the top of their license – who bridged the gap between inpatient and outpatient care and oversaw their case, helping with medical, psychosocial, and palliative needs.
Patients were also channeled into pulmonary rehab, three sessions per week for 6-8 weeks, with additional sessions as needed. The outpatient education emphasized and expanded the inpatient lessons, and patients exercised on treadmills and other equipment. They learned how to use resistance bands at home to increase upper body strength and decrease disability. Kaiser increased the number of weekly pulmonary rehab slots from 8 to 64 to make it happen.
After rehab, patients were offered a pedometer to measure how many steps they walked, and a phone number to report it each day. Those who participated got a call from the navigator when they fell below targets.
It has all made a huge difference. Dr. Moreta-Sainz said he’d like to add in-home visits and family support groups, so caregivers know what to do if things head south.
The work was funded by Kaiser; Dr. Moreta-Sainz and Mr. Cam have no disclosures.