Simulation-Based Estimates of the Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in France

Pulmonary Rehabilitation Is Associated With Decreased Exacerbation and Mortality in Patients With COPD: A Nationwide Korean Study

BACKGROUND

Poor uptake to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is still challenging around the world. There have been few nationwide studies investigating whether PR impacts patient outcomes in COPD. We investigated the change of annual PR implementation rate, medical costs, and COPD outcomes including exacerbation rates and mortality between 2015 and 2019.

RESEARCH QUESTION

Does PR implementation improve outcomes in patients with COPD in terms of direct cost, exacerbation, and mortality?

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Data of patients with COPD extracted from a large Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment service database (2015-2019) were analyzed to determine the trends of annual PR implementation rate and direct medical costs of PR. Comparison of COPD exacerbation rates between pre-PR and post-PR, and the time to first exacerbation and mortality rate according to PR implementation, were also assessed.

RESULTS

Among all patients with COPD in South Korea, only 1.43% received PR. However, the annual PR implementation rate gradually increased from 0.03% to 1.4% during 4 years, especially after health insurance coverage commencement. The direct medical cost was significantly higher in the PR group than the non-PR group, but the costs in these groups showed decreasing and increasing trends, respectively. Both the incidence rate and frequency of moderate-to-severe and severe exacerbations were lower during the post-PR period compared with the pre-PR period. The time to the first moderate-to-severe and severe exacerbations was longer in the PR group than the non-PR group. Finally, PR implementation was associated with a significant decrease in mortality.

INTERPRETATION

We concluded that health insurance coverage increases PR implementation rates. Moreover, PR contributes toward improving outcomes including reducing exacerbation and mortality in patients with COPD. However, despite the well-established benefits of PR, its implementation rate remains suboptimal.

Cost-effectiveness of integrated disease management for high risk, exacerbation prone, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a primary care setting

Background

We evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the ‘Best Care’ integrated disease management (IDM) program for high risk, exacerbation prone, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) compared to usual care (UC) within a primary care setting from the perspective of a publicly funded health system (i.e., Ontario, Canada).

Methods

We conducted a model-based, cost-utility analysis using a Markov model with expected values of costs and outcomes derived from a Monte-Carlo Simulation with 5000 replications. The target population included patients started in GOLD II with a starting age of 68 years in the trial-based analysis. Key input parameters were based on a randomized control trial of 143 patients (i.e., UC (n = 73) versus IDM program (n = 70)). Results were shown as incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained.

Results

The IDM program for high risk, exacerbation prone, patients is dominant in comparison with the UC group. After one year, the IDM program demonstrated cost savings and improved QALYs (i.e., UC was dominated by IDM) with a positive net-benefit of $5360 (95% CI: ($5175, $5546) based on a willingness to pay of $50,000 (CAN) per QALY.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that the IDM intervention for patients with COPD in a primary care setting is cost-effective in comparison to the standard of care. By demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of IDM, we confirm that investment in the delivery of evidence based best practices in primary care delivers better patient outcomes at a lower cost than UC.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12962-022-00377-w.

I.

Interventions that can reduce the frequency and severity of exacerbations in patients who suffer from COPD have the potential to reduce the financial burden of COPD on the health system;

II.

This is the first study that demonstrates the cost-effectiveness of integrated disease management for patients who suffer from COPD within a primary care environment;

III.

This study makes the case for embedding Certified Respiratory Educators (CREs) within the primary care environment to improve the quality of life of patients who suffer from COPD, as well as alleviating unnecessary health services utilization and decreasing the overall financial burden of the disease on the health system.

Allied health are key to improving health for people with chronic disease: but where are the outcomes and where is the strategy?

The global burden of chronic disease has forced health systems to focus on improved care. This has led to improved health outcomes for some populations, but not for all people or for all conditions. The rising prevalence of chronic disease has also significantly increased demands on healthcare systems, with unsustainable costs to funders. To improve health and social outcomes for all people with chronic disease, it is critical to embrace allied health professionals as key members of primary healthcare teams. The recognised efficacy and cost-effectiveness of many allied health interventions suggest that implementation into usual care would result in enhanced outcomes for people accessing healthcare, their families and communities, and for health systems. Our aim is to highlight the current unacceptable lack of allied health integration into primary healthcare teams, and illustrate the potential value of improved and equitable access to allied health professionals for managing chronic conditions and multimorbidity.

The Cost-Effectiveness of Pulmonary Rehabilitation for COPD in Different Settings: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has high morbidity and mortality rates. COPD impairs body functioning, reduces quality of life, and creates a great economic burden for society. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) has become an important nonpharmacological treatment for COPD. This paper systematically reviews economic evaluations of PR in COPD patients in different settings.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to understand the cost-effectiveness of PR in different settings for COPD to provide economic evidence for decision-makers.

METHODS

We searched eight databases from their inception to 23 November 2019. The results were presented in terms of an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), and the decision uncertainty was expressed by cost-effectiveness acceptability curves (CEACs). We used the Consensus on Health Economic Criteria to assess study quality.

RESULTS

This review included ten studies that matched the selection criteria. Five studies compared PR with usual care in primary healthcare or outpatient departments. Two studies compared community-based PR with hospital PR or usual care. In the other studies, PR was mainly carried out at home. Compared with usual care, PR was cost-effective in primary healthcare institutions or outpatient departments. According to CEACs, community-based PR had a 50% probability of cost-effectiveness at £30,000/quality-adjusted life year (QALY) compared with hospital PR in the UK. Based on the ICER, community-based PR was "moderately" cost-effective, with a ratio of €32,425/QALY compared with usual care in the Netherlands. Home-based PR was dominant compared with usual care, and tele-rehabilitation was dominant compared with traditional home PR.

CONCLUSIONS

PR conducted in different settings can potentially be cost-effective, as measured using QALY or the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ).

Operational Modeling with Health Economics to Support Decision Making for COPD Patients

OBJECTIVE

To assess the impact of interventions for improving the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), specifically increased use of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) on patient outcomes and cost-benefit analysis.

DATA SOURCES

We used the national Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) datasets in England, local data and experts from the hospital setting, National Prices and National Tariffs, reports and the literature around the effectiveness of PR programs.

STUDY DESIGN

The COPD pathway was modeled using discrete event simulation (DES) to capture the patient pathway to an adequate level of detail as well as randomness in the real world. DES was further enhanced by the integration of a health economic model to calculate the net benefit and cost of treating COPD patients based on key sets of interventions.

DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS

A total of 150 input parameters and 75 distributions were established to power the model using the HES dataset, outpatient activity data from the hospital and community services, and the literature.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

The simulation model showed that increasing referral to PR (by 10%, 20%, or 30%) would be cost-effective (with a benefit-cost ratio of 5.81, 5.95, and 5.91, respectively) by having a positive impact on patient outcomes and operational metrics. Number of deaths, admissions, and bed days decreased (ie, by 3.56 patients, 4.90 admissions, and 137.31 bed days for a 30% increase in PR referrals) as well as quality of life increased (ie, by 5.53 QALY among 1540 patients for the 30% increase).

CONCLUSIONS

No operational model, either statistical or simulation, has previously been developed to capture the COPD patient pathway within a hospital setting. To date, no model has investigated the impact of PR on COPD services, such as operations, key performance, patient outcomes, and cost-benefit analysis. The study will support policies around extending availability of PR as a major intervention.

What still prevents to acknowledge a major role for pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD treatment?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major health issue, particularly in aging people. Despite an increasing availability of drugs to treat COPD, recent data indicate that an actual control of the disease is achieved in a minority of  patients. This makes apparent that additional treatments of COPD should be taken into account, such as pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), which was introduced in the 1960s and has large evidence of clinical effectiveness. PR is a non-pharmacologic therapy based on a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, patient-centered intervention comprising exercise training, self-management education and psychosocial support. PR treated patients develop an increased exercise tolerance and quality of life, reduced dyspnea and anxiety, and are concerned by less hospital admissions for disease exacerbations. Notwithstanding, the use of PR in COPD patients is negligible, being globally estimated in 2-5%. Here we update the evidence in favor of PR and the actual need to consider it as a treatment to be considered for COPD patients with significant impairment in daily living activities.

Cost-effectiveness of physical activity in the management of COPD patients in the UK

Background

While the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines advise exercise to reduce disease progression, little investment in promoting physical activity (PA) is made by health care authorities. The purpose of this study was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of regular PA vs sedentary lifestyle in people with COPD in the UK.

Methods

Efficacy, quality of life, and economic evidence on the PA effects in COPD patients were retrieved from literature to serve as input for a Markov microsimulation model comparing a COPD population performing PA vs a COPD population with sedentary lifestyle. The GOLD classification defined the model health states. For the base case, the cost of PA was estimated at zero, a lifetime horizon was used, and costs and effects were discounted at 3.5%. Analyses were performed from the UK National Health Service (NHS) perspective. Uncertainty around inputs and assumptions were explored via scenario and sensitivity analyses, including a cost threshold analysis. Outcomes were cost/quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained and cost/year gained.

Results

Based on our model, the effects of PA in the UK COPD population would be lower mortality (−6%), fewer hospitalizations (−2%), gains in years (+0.82) and QALYs (+0.66), and total cost savings of £2,568. The cost/QALY and cost/year gained were dominant. PA was cost-saving at costs <£35/month and cost-effective at cost <£202/month. The main model drivers were age and PA impact on death and hospital-treated exacerbations.

Conclusion

Including PA in the management of COPD leads to long-term clinical benefits. If the NHS promotes only exercise via medical advice, this would lead to health care cost savings. If the NHS chose to fund PA, it would still likely be cost-effective.

[Characteristics of non-pharmacological interventions in the elderly with COPD. Smoking cessation, pulmonary rehabilitation, nutritional management and patient education]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a respiratory disorder responsible for a high mortality and disability. People older than 65 years are more commonly affected than younger people and tend to present with more symptoms and a greater level of disability. Non-pharmacological interventions play an important role in the management of all patients with COPD and this is particularly true in the elderly. Given the improvement in quality of life and risk of hospitalization, smoking cessation should be promoted to patients of all ages. Increased physical activity is associated with reduced respiratory symptoms. Tests such as the "Short Physical Performance Battery" can be useful in frailer older people with COPD, while walking tests such as the 6-minute walk test are used as an assessment before pulmonary rehabilitation. Increased physical activity should be combined with nutritional management. Screening for undernutrition by questionnaire, body mass index and albumin quantification is recommended in the elderly. In case of undernutrition, oral supplementation seems to reduce the risk of re-admission. All these measures must be included in an education program adapted to the elderly comorbidities (hearing loss, isolation…).