Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

What is COPD?

COPD, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is a long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe. The disease gets worse over time and leads to early death. For more information on “Learning About COPD” by the American Lung Association, please click HERE.

COPD Patient Mortality (Death)

What is this measure?

This measure shows whether Medicare patients died within 30 days of going to the hospital for COPD. The death rates take into account how sick patients were before they were admitted to the hospital

How does Kaweah Health perform?

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Data Source: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) when available or internal data
Benchmark Source: Rates are compared by the CMS to the U.S. national rate for each Medicare patient type when available, or by internal national benchmarking data

Why is it important?

This information is important because one way to tell if a hospital is doing a good job is to see if the death (mortality) rate for COPD patients treated at that hospital is better than, the same as or worse than the U.S. national average. Death rates provide information about important aspects that affect patients’ outcomes. A focus on prevention, response to complications, emphasis on patient safety, and timeliness of care lowers mortality rates and improve patient outcomes.

COPD Patient Hospital Readmission

What is this measure?

This readmission measure shows how often a Medicare patient returns to the hospital for an unplanned admission within 30 days of going home from the previous hospitalization. Patients may return to the same hospital or a different hospital. The readmission may be related the original COPD or for a different health issue. The readmission rates take into account how sick patients were before they were admitted to the hospital.

How does Kaweah Health perform?

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Data Source: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) when available or internal data
Benchmark Source: Rates are compared by the CMS to the U.S. national rate for each Medicare patient type when available, or by internal national benchmarking data

Why is it important?

This information is important because one way to tell if a hospital is doing a good job is to see if the readmission rate for COPD patients is better than, the same as or worse than the U.S. national average. Readmission rates show how well the hospital is doing to prevent complications, provide clear discharge instructions, and aid in making easy transition home or to another setting.

What is Kaweah Health doing to continue to improve?

A hospital-wide physician-lead team of healthcare professionals are dedicated to promote and oversee best practices in the care of COPD patients and are always looking to for new ways continuously improve care.

Patients are most at risk for readmission immediately following discharge from the hospital when they are often trying to follow directions for new medication, make lifestyle changes and manage follow-up appointments. Kaweah Health comprehensively prepares all patients before discharge and offers a variety of programs for patients who need extra support when going home.

Our medical center has a special pharmacy program called “meds to bed” that provide bedside delivery for discharge medications. Pharmacists can visit patient rooms for extra instruction about high-risk conditions and the drugs used for treatment.

Kaweah Health is committed to partnering with COPD patients to manage their health and prevent admissions to the hospital though our Kaweah Health Specialty Clinic Center. The Kaweah Health Specialty Clinic Center helps patients take charge of their health issues and improve their quality of life by teaching self-care monitoring techniques, and collaboratively managing them alongside their referring physicians. Please inform your primary care physician if you wish to been seen our specialty clinic. For more information, click HERE.

Kaweah also offers pulmonary rehabilitation services. Managing a chronic lung disease requires a mix of exercise, medication, and relaxing. In this program you can learn how to better treat the disease. Click HERE for Kaweah locations and contact information for this service.

Frontline Perspective

Dr. Monica Manga, MD, FACP, Medical Director Kaweah Health Specialty Clinic Center

It is a privilege for me to be part of a team that focuses on providing exceptional care of the patient not only in while in the hospital, but also through the continuum. From the ED visit, hospitalization, to the outpatient setting, focusing on prevention and quality of life. There is no greater satisfaction than hearing your patient say they feel more sure of themselves, that they now can engage in new activities and do more.

How can patients and families support safety?

An important part of leaving the hospital is to understand how to manage your health conditions. This includes knowing about any medications, dietary restrictions, physical activity recommendations, and follow up care. Talk to your care team if you or a loved one has questions during the transition or after discharge.

For more information on preventing COPD from the American Lung Association, please click HERE.