A23-07 Remote Patient Monitoring Effect on COPD Hospitalizations

Abstract Rationale Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of emergency department visits and hospitalizations, and exacerbations result in substantial healthcare utilization costs. Remote patient monitoring (RPM) has been reported to reduce hospital admissions for COPD by 30%. The project presented here employs retrospective chart review to evaluate the efficacy of a pilot RPM program. Methods This is a retrospective, observational cohort study using a within-subject pre-post design to patients with COPD enrolled in the RPM program between January 2023 and June 2025. For each participant, COPD-related hospitalizations and ED visits in the 12 months prior to enrollment were compared with outcomes during program participation. Baseline data were collected such as MMRC score, GOLD classification, smoking history, and current medication regimen. Patients were contacted monthly by a registered nurse care coordinator (RNCC) for a check-in and were contacted every three months by a PharmD for medication review. The primary outcomes were number of COPD-related hospitalizations per patient and COPD-related emergency department (ED) visits per patient. Results During the period of January 2023 through June 2025, 50 patient referrals were received and 38 were enrolled into the program. 11 patients were excluded due to active malignancy or inability to be contacted. 27 patients received onboarding - 71% of those enrolled. The average MMRC score among the cohort onboarded was 3. 5. 97% of the onboarded patients were classified as GOLD Group E. The average duration of enrollment was 192 days. During this time there were 56 RN intervention calls, 19 of which were escalated to the PharmD for initiation of an exacerbation protocol. Collectively, the 27 patients had been either admitted or visited the ED on 33 occasions for COPD-related reasons in the year prior to enrollment. Following enrollment, the same group only had 11 such ED visits or hospitalizations. The estimated collective cost for COPD hospitalizations and ED visits for this cohort was greater than 250, 000 in the year prior to enrollment. During enrollment, the estimated cost was less than 100, 000. Conclusions This project suggests a RPM program can reduce hospitalizations and ED visits in a symptomatic patient cohort (average MMRC score of 3. 5). Patients with COPD exacerbations often suffer from crippling dyspnea and incur substantial healthcare utilization which can be improved by programs such as this one. The project’s aim is to deliver better qualitative and quantitative care to all those who utilize healthcare systems. This abstract is funded by: None