Viemed Healthcare, Inc. a national leader in respiratory care and technology-enabled home medical equipment services, announced a third peer-reviewed and published study demonstrating the benefits of non-invasive ventilation at home The study, titled “Early Initiation of Non-Invasive Ventilation at Home Improves Survival and Reduces Healthcare Costs in COPD Patients with Chronic Hypercapnic Respiratory Failure: A Retrospective Cohort Study” was published in Respiratory Medicine, an internationally renowned scientific journal devoted to respiratory medical research.
“In addition to the significant clinical benefits demonstrated in previously published papers, this study demonstrates that NIVH improves health outcomes while simultaneously driving down overall healthcare costs. The study was also designed to investigate how the timing of NIVH initiation affected the outcomes. The results showed that the clinical and financial benefits of NIVH are greatest when therapy begins immediately following the diagnosis.”
Dr. William Frazier, Viemed’s Chief Medical Officer and co-author of the study
Using the 100% research identifiable fee-for-service Medicare claims from 2016 through 2020, the researchers found that using NIVH to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure is associated with significant reductions in mortality, hospitalizations, and total Medicare costs. In terms of cost-savings, Medicare expenditures for the year following NIVH initiation decreased by $5,484 compared to controls if treatment was begun within seven days of diagnosis. The cost reduction was $3,412 if NIVH was begun within 15 days of diagnosis. For patients whose therapy began more than 15 days after diagnosis, NIVH use was cost neutral and not associated with an increase in Medicare expenditures.
The primary clinical benefit was a reduced mortality in patients treated with NIVH. When a patient began therapy within seven days of diagnosis, the risk of death was reduced by 43%. Those patients who began therapy between eight and 15 days following diagnosis showed a mortality reduction of 31%, and patients who began therapy between 16 and 30 days following diagnosis showed a mortality reduction of 16%.
“NIVH is becoming widely accepted by clinicians as the standard of care for hypercapnic COPD-CRF treatment and this evidence supporting early initiation will help us to communicate the clinical and economic benefits to payors and partners,” said Casey Hoyt, Viemed’s CEO. “By accessing and treating more patients sooner, we can save lives, reduce hospital readmissions, and save money at the same time.”
ABOUT VIEMED HEALTHCARE, INC.
Viemed is a provider of in-home medical equipment and post-acute respiratory healthcare services in the United States. Viemed’s service offerings are focused on effective in-home treatment with clinical practitioners providing therapy and counseling to patients in their homes using cutting edge technology.