Rural Project Examples: Chronic disease management

Boone County Health Center Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program

Updated/reviewed June 2022

• Need: Evidenced-based intervention to improve function and quality of life for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other chronic lower respiratory conditions.
• Intervention: Pulmonary rehabilitation program implementation in 1989.
• Results: Compared to a national average of only about 3% of referred Medicare beneficiaries actually enrolling in pulmonary rehabilitation, 60% of the program's referred patients enroll. Averaging around 15 patients/year completing the program, a large combined cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation maintenance population averages 8,000 visits/year.