The COPD Foundation and ViiMed® Launch COPD360coach, an Interactive Program Providing Care Solutions for COPD Patients

The COPD Foundation and ViiMed recently announced at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Amsterdam, the launch of COPD360coach, an idea of a CROWDSHAPED event co-hosted by Novartis Pharmaceuticals and the COPD Foundation this last June.

The effort was organized by experts from different backgrounds to enhance patient-centered care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs, caused by long-term exposure to irritating gases or particulate matter, most often from cigarette smoke. The condition affects about 30 million people in the United States and is the third leading cause of death in the country.

To bring the open-thinking sessions ideas into practise, The COPD Foundation, an US non-profit healthcare organization focused on the prevention and cure of COPD, piloted a national technology search. The organization chose ViiMed, a company that is the leader in asynchronous telehealth and care coordination, to create a solution merging what was originated from Crowdshaped into one solid technology platform. Together, they are providing a unique platform for Health Systems and Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) to be used by their COPD patients for better management of their condition.

The COPD360coach platform, which was long-expected since its project conception this past July, is an interactive mobile and website application for health education, coaching, as well as wellness monitoring for COPD patients. The platform supplements and boosts the current healthcare management options by providing an asynchronous and coordinated peer-coaching setup.

This strategy further guides COPD patients’ empowerment as it utilizes educational modules, which comprise online courses and videos presented by healthcare professionals as well as COPD patients, all while it provides a comprehensive care management support for the Health System or ACO.

“We are so excited to bring COPD360coach to people with COPD. All the terrific ideas that emerged from Crowdshaped are being put into action. Collaborating with ViiMed team has truly amplified these ideas, and the ViiMed technology platform is the perfect venue for our innovation to come to life. ViiMed’s outside-looking-in approach to virtual care will not only help make the lives of people with COPD better, but also enable healthcare organizations to scale and personalize patient empowerment,” said John Walsh, President and Co-Founder of the COPD Foundation in a press release.

“COPD Foundation’s existing initiatives, COPD360social and its COPD Patient-Powered Research Network (COPD PPRN), are making a difference today for thousands of people with COPD and our team at ViiMed is honored to extend that effort by bringing the care delivery element, COPD360coach, to life. To drive empowerment for a person with COPD, or anyone with a chronic disease, we need to personalize the on-going relationships between the care team and the person with COPD, especially in the virtual environment.” said the ViiMed’s CEO, Phil Newman. “Together, the Foundation and ViiMed have the opportunity to facilitate Health Systems and ACOs helping so many more people with COPD, and we are going to work hard to see that happen.”

Tailored interfaces support a COPD patient, while COPD360coach’s layered coordination capacities help to drive improved outcomes by identifying trends prior to the occurrence of unfavourable outcomes. “Being a person with COPD and a peer-coach, I am so excited to see the COPD360coach approach in action. Yes, the healthcare community needs to track outcomes and data along the journey, and COPD360coach will obviously do that through devices, education and other quantifiable methods, but to center engagement around personalized relationships between providers, peer-coaches and persons with COPD in this unique way will strengthen the necessary bond that truly changes behavior or provide that timely reinforcement outlet when it’s needed,” said Karen Erickson, Associate Executive Director of Community Engagement at the Alpha-1 Foundation.