Delivering cost–effective care for COPD in the USA: recent progress and current challenges

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) imposes a significant and growing economic burden on the US health care system. A brief exploration of reviews on the therapeutic management of COPD reveals a range of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic options for reducing deleterious and costly exacerbations. Consensus is that both forms of therapy provide the greatest benefit to all patients. However, prescribing physicians must account for availability of resources and patients’ ability to pay, as well as patient response and their likely persistence or adherence to recommended therapies. The ongoing challenge is to overcome barriers to comprehensive, real-world economic evaluations in order to establish the most cost-effective mix of therapies for every patient in the heterogeneous COPD population. Only then can evidence-based guidelines be translated into the most cost-effective delivery of care.

Keywords::

• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• cost-effective
• care
• delivery of care
• disease management
• exacerbations
• pharmacotherapy
• pulmonary rehabilitation

Financial & competing interest disclosures

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Notes

Refer to GOLD guidelines – chapter 3 [1] for a more thorough description of therapeutic options for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the strength of the evidence in support of effectiveness.