Philips : Data Shows Combined COPD Treatments Could Help Reduce Cost Of Care

(RTTNews) - Royal Philips (PHG) announced new data suggesting that combining home oxygen therapy or HOT with home non-invasive ventilation or HMV as treatment for chronically hypercapnic COPD patients is more effective and less expensive than HOT alone. Comparing the accumulated costs of devices, doctor visits, medication, and hospitalizations to HOT alone using a US economic model, HOT-HMV exhibited an average annual cost savings of $3,927 per patient.

The data were gleaned by an economic analysis of a Philips-sponsored, randomized clinical trial of 116 patients in the UK carried out by respiratory experts at St Thomas' Hospital in London. Results of the five-year, multi-center study were announced at ATS 2017 and published in the Journal of American Medical Association, but the potential health economic impact was previously unknown.

The original trial data were used to develop an economic model from the US payer perspective. This analysis indicated the base-case incremental cost per quality adjusted life year or QALY gained was negative $50,856, suggesting HOT-HMV as a dominant strategy to both save costs and improve quality of life compared to HOT alone. A similar UK analysis demonstrated greater device costs, a savings of £2,328 per patient in doctor visits, medication and hospitalizations costs, and also indicated cost effectiveness.