Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. An estimated 11.4 million adults aged 18 and over have reported a physician diagnosis of COPD. However, as many as 24 million U.S. adults have some evidence of impaired lung function, indicating an under diagnosis of the disease. Spirometry is the standard for the diagnosis and assessment of COPD, yet it is underutilized in clinical practice and many patients who could benefit from care remain undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. This program is designed to help physicians to improve this skills in the diagnosis and treatment of COPD, use spirometry consistently and meet all quality improvement (QI) goals set by ARHQ, HEDIS and P4P, thereby raising the standard of care for their patients with COPD, while reducing the healthcare costs.