VISN 23 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Case Management Using Home Telehealth Equipment

• Patient compliance with utilizing home telehealth monitoring equipment in the two patient groups [ Time Frame: six months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• The amount of Home telehealth case management time utilized to provide patient monitoring in the two patient groups [ Time Frame: six months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

• Patient satisfaction The role of finger oximetry in the identification of exacerbations Number of hospitalizations and urgent care visits and how they relate to the use of home telehealth equipment [ Time Frame: six months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Evaluate patient ease of using the home telehealth equipment in the two patient groups. [ Time Frame: six months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Patient satisfaction in managing their disease in the two patient groups [ Time Frame: six months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• The number of COPD exacerbations, urgent care visits, and hospitalizations related to COPD in the two patient groups [ Time Frame: six months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Correlate the effect of oxygen saturation monitoring on the early identification of COPD exacerbations [ Time Frame: six months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

Patients who have been admitted to the hospital, or who have frequent urgent care visits, who also suffer from COPD exacerbations will be given a home monitoring system. Daily, the patient will respond to a series of questions. The results of the question answers will be remotely monitored by a nurse case manager.

The objective is to measure compliance, resource use, and the ability for early recognition of an exacerbation of their COPD, and early implementation of therapy.