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COPD Readmissions Summit Coming Up in October

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September 23, 2013

COPD will be added to the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program in FY 2015 and that means hospitals will begin incurring penalties for excessive 30-day readmissions beginning Oct. 1, 2014. This October, the COPD Foundation (COPDF) will host a conference in conjunction with partnering organizations, including the AARC, to help your department become part of the solution.

The COPD Readmissions Summit will take place on Oct. 11 in Washington, DC. While seating is limited to 100 people, live video streaming will be available to anyone who would like to sit in remotely. AARC CEO Tom Kallstrom, MBA, RRT, FAARC, will serve as section chair for the keynote addresses, and speakers include nationally known experts in COPD and hospital readmissions.

“The COPD summit is an important event, and we are committed to working with the COPD Foundation to help find solutions to these complex issues in order to improve outcomes, as well as the quality of life for COPD patients,” says Kallstrom.

Thematic questions to be addressed during the session include:

  1. How do we create a system that is patient centered (i.e. with attention to other comorbidities and social determinants of health) rather than disease specific (i.e. focused exclusively on COPD)?
  2. How do we integrate COPD best practices into existing models for reducing hospital readmissions?
  3. How do we assess the impact (benefits and harms) of COPD related hospital readmission reduction efforts when deployed in practice settings, rather than in controlled research settings?

The overall objectives are to:

  1. Review the evidence base for reducing hospital readmissions—who has been studied, in what setting, and to whom do these results apply?
  2. Create a comprehensive list of statistics describing rates and determinants of hospital readmissions among patients hospitalized for COPD exacerbations.
  3. Uncover the unique needs of patients hospitalized with COPD exacerbations that are not already addressed by evidence-based programs to reduce hospital readmissions.
  4. Understand the breadth and depth of research and demonstration projects that have occurred or are underway, with the goal of reducing the COPD readmission rate.
  5. Identify partners with whom the COPD Foundation can collaborate to reduce readmissions in patients with COPD.
  6. Develop a compendium of best practices and an agenda that will advance the care of patients hospitalized with COPD.

“Given the inevitable financial penalties for hospitals, this summit is timely and essential for short- and long-term planning,” says John W. Walsh, COPDF president and founder.

Statistics show 20% of patients hospitalized with COPD exacerbations are readmitted within 30 days. Exacerbation costs account for nearly 70% of the estimated $50 billion in annual COPD expenditures, with readmission-related expenses ranking third highest among Medicare beneficiaries.

Register now for in person attendance, or attendance via video stream.