Can HFCWO Therapy Help Reduce Antibiotics Usage?

You can’t put a price on symptom relief from your chronic lung condition. However, finding ways to help reduce medical costs related to conditions like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or bronchiectasis, is important to consider.

At Electromed, every SmartVest we manufacture and distribute comes with a lifetime support guarantee. This means you never need to worry about paying additional fees if your vest therapy becomes damaged, requires a replacement part, or you need a different size to ensure your therapy feels comfortable.

But did you know that SmartVest may also help reduce costs associated with antibiotic usage? 1

When COPD patients experience a worsening of symptoms—also known as an exacerbation or flare up — it may require the use of medications, such as bronchodilators and antibiotics, or hospitalization.

In addition to the stress and disruption to your quality of life this creates, it can also lead to costly medical expenses. Though every person is different and will experience symptoms of COPD individually, your clinician may prescribe one or a combination of antibiotics to help treat a respiratory infection. 2

Antibiotics that are sometimes used to help patients manage a COPD flare-up may include:

• Azithromycin 3

• Cefuroxime 4

• Doxycycline 5

• Sulfamethoxazole 6

Similarly to COPD, bronchiectasis can worsen over time , requiring the use of antibiotics for both short-term and long-term use. According to Bronchiectasis News Today, common antibiotics used to help treat an acute flare up may include:

• Amoxicillin

• Co-amoxiclav

• Flucloxacillin

• Rifampicin

• Fucidin

• Coliforms 7

As with COPD, the type of medication you are prescribed for a bronchiectasis-related exacerbation will depend on the severity of your condition. One thing is for sure, however, increasing your antibiotic usage and spending more time in the hospital to help treat a flare up can become costly for both you and your loved ones.

In a previous clinical outcome study , the cost effectiveness of using SmartVest, a high frequency chest wall oscillation therapy device, was analyzed by examining 59 patients living with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. 8

The study categorized bronchiectasis-related exacerbations by the following metrics:

• Number of hospitalizations

• Number of emergency department (ED) visits

• Frequency of antibiotic prescriptions

The data was then collected and recorded for each patient for a one-year period prior to using SmartVest (i.e., standard of care control) and for a one-year period after using SmartVest.

After comparing the data, it was reported that SmartVest usage helped decrease both antibiotic costs and emergency visits that were due to repeated exacerbations.

Patients experienced:

• A 58% decrease in antibiotic cost 9

• A 63% decrease in ED visit cost 10

• A 60% decrease in hospitalization cost 11

Aside from costing you time away from your loved ones and energy to do the type of activities you enjoy most, living with a chronic lung condition like COPD or bronchiectasis can become a financial burden.

At Electromed, our mission is making life’s important moments possible—one breath at a time®. That means going above and beyond helping you find symptom relief from your chronic disease. Our team helps streamline the reimbursement process on your behalf, educating you on insurance programs you may qualify for or providing financial assistance options so you can focus on therapy and get back to feeling your best again.

If you’d like to learn more about how SmartVest may help you, contact our Patient Care Advocate team! They are Respiratory Therapists and ready to answer questions you may have.

Ways to contact our Patient Care Advocate Team:

• Give them a call at 1.855.528.5690

• Email pca@electromed.com

• Live Chat on our website

• Schedule a time that works best for you

Try our Cost Calculator

How it works is you enter the number of antibiotic treatments and hospitalizations you’ve experienced in the last 24 months. From there, our Smart calculator will provide you with a potential cost savings estimate.

Resources

1 Sievert, CE et al. 2017. Cost-Effective Analysis of Using High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation (HFCWO) in Patients with Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis. Respiratory Therapy, 12(1), 45-49. 2 American Lung Association. “Managing Your COPD Medications.” Retrieved from https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/copd/treating/managing-your-copd-medications 3 Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic Q and A: Long-Term Antibiotic Use For Some With COPD.” Retrieved from https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-for-some-with-copd-long-term-use-of-antibiotics-may-reduce-exacerbations/ 4 National Center for Biotechnology Information. “Optimizing antibiotic selection in treating COPD exacerbations”. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2528209/ 5 National Center for Biotechnology Information. “Optimizing antibiotic selection in treating COPD exacerbations”. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2528209/ 6 National Center for Biotechnology Information. “Optimizing antibiotic selection in treating COPD exacerbations”. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2528209/ 7 Bronchiectasis News Today. “Antibiotics for Bronchiectasis Treatment.” Retrieved from https://bronchiectasisnewstoday.com/antibiotics-for-bronchiectasis-treatment/ 8 Sievert, CE et al. 2017. Cost-Effective Analysis of Using High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation (HFCWO) in Patients with Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis. Respiratory Therapy, 12(1), 45-49. 9 Powner, J, et al. Employment of Algorithm of Care Including Chest Physiotherapy Results in Reduced Hospitalizations and Stability of Lung Function in Bronchiectasis. BMC Pulmonary Medicine, BioMed Central. 25 Apr. 2019. 10 Powner, J, et al. Employment of Algorithm of Care Including Chest Physiotherapy Results in Reduced Hospitalizations and Stability of Lung Function in Bronchiectasis. BMC Pulmonary Medicine, BioMed Central. 25 Apr. 2019. 11 Powner, J, et al. Employment of Algorithm of Care Including Chest Physiotherapy Results in Reduced Hospitalizations and Stability of Lung Function in Bronchiectasis. BMC Pulmonary Medicine, BioMed Central. 25 Apr. 2019.