Does initiation of pulmonary rehabilitation within 3 months of discharge reduce mortality at 1 year in fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for COPD?
Initiation of pulmonary rehabilitation within 3 months of COPD hospitalization is associated with improved 1-year survival, supporting current guideline recommendations.
Among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for COPD, initiation of pulmonary rehabilitation within 3 months of discharge was significantly associated with lower risk of mortality at 1 year. These findings support current guideline recommendations for pulmonary rehabilitation after hospitalization for COPD, although the potential for residual confounding exists and further research is needed.
Lindenauer et al. (Tue,) studied this question.