Cost effectiveness of an outpatient multidisciplinary pulmonary rehabilitation programme

Abstract

Background-Pulmonary rehabilitation programmes improve the health of patients disabled by lung disease but their cost eVectiveness is unproved. We undertook a cost/utility analysis in conjunction with a randomised controlled clinical trial of pulmonary rehabilitation versus standard care. Methods-Two hundred patients, mainly with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, were randomly assigned to either an 18 visit, 6 week rehabilitation programme or standard medical management. The diVerence between the mean cost of 12 months of care for patients in the rehabilitation and control groups (incremental cost) and the diVerence between the two groups in quality adjusted life years (QALYs) gained (incremental utility) were determined. The ratio between incremental cost and utility (incremental cost/utility ratio) was calculated. Results-Each rehabilitation programme for up to 20 patients cost £12 120. The mean incremental cost of adding rehabilitation to standard care was £ -152 (95% CI -881 to 577) per patient, p=NS. The incremental utility of adding rehabilitation was 0.030 (95% CI 0.002 to 0.058) QALYs per patient, p=0.03. The point estimate of the incremental cost/utility ratio was therefore negative. The bootstrapping technique was used to model the distribution of cost/utility estimates possible from the data. A high likelihood of generating QALYs at negative or relatively low cost was indicated. The probability of the cost per QALY generated being below £0 was 0.64. Conclusions-This outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation programme produces cost per QALY ratios within bounds considered to be cost eVective and is likely to result in financial benefits to the health service. (Thorax 2001;56:779-784)

Essential amino acid supplementation in patients with severe COPD: a step towards home rehabilitation

“…Rehab also proved cost effective [6]. However, despite these favourable outcomes, the prevalence of COPD patient who attend Rehab centres or undergo any Rehab protocol is not known.…”

Does creatine supplementation enhance the effects of physical training during pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD?

“…Other benefits include a reduction in usage of health services and a decrease in the number of days spent in hospital following an acute admission [9]. The cost-effectiveness of introducing pulmonary rehabilitation to standard therapy has been demonstrated [10].…”

Clinical Implications of Pulmonary Rehabilitation

“…Patients completing rehabilitation also required fewer primary care home visits (2.8 days -control group; 1.5 days -rehabilitation group) (P<0.05). A subsequent detailed economic analysis (12) established that the cost savings among the group that completed respiratory rehabilitation markedly exceeded the costs of the program itself.…”