VillageMD Partners with the COPD Foundation to Better Identify and Treat COPD

Partners to help identify “missing millions” with undiagnosed COPD, and increase access to pulmonary rehabilitation

CHICAGO & MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VillageMD and the COPD Foundation today announced a partnership to better identify and treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at Village Medical practices.

In the United States, there are 15 million American adults, the “missing millions,” with undiagnosed COPD, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The partners aim to raise awareness through education and outreach campaigns to patients, help identify those with undiagnosed COPD and increase access to pulmonary rehabilitation.

“Patients who are living with COPD struggle with ongoing discomfort, breathlessness, and chronic coughs – and we have ways to help improve their quality of life,” said Clive Fields, M.D., co-founder of VillageMD. “Through this partnership with the COPD Foundation, we will help our patients and at-risk populations manage or even prevent COPD through trusting patient-provider relationships, comprehensive care teams, and expanded access to rehabilitation resources.”

“The best place to address COPD is in primary care, and Village Medical is a respected provider of quality primary care,” said Byron Thomashow, M.D., co-founder and chief medical officer at the COPD Foundation. “VillageMD will help the Foundation identify people with undiagnosed COPD and connect them to therapies to help them breathe better and live healthier lives. We look forward to collaborating with Village Medical’s physicians and advanced practice providers to engage our community as we work together to identify the missing millions.”

COPD is almost always preventable and treatable. The challenge is that many people with COPD don’t know they have it.

Dr. Thomashow recently co-authored a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on preliminary results from the “COPD Assessment in Primary Care to Identify Undiagnosed Respiratory Disease & Exacerbation Risk (CAPTURE)” study. The CAPTURE case-finding tool correctly identified 48% of the individuals classified in the study as having clinically significant undiagnosed COPD. The study’s results demonstrate the promise of early COPD detection techniques in primary care.

This partnership between VillageMD and the COPD Foundation is a critical step to ensuring better outcomes for patients with COPD.

About VillageMD

VillageMD provides high-quality, accessible healthcare services for individuals and communities across the United States, with primary, multi-specialty, and urgent care providers serving patients in traditional clinic settings, in patients’ homes and online appointments. Committed to serving all patients and working with all payers, VillageMD consistently innovates value-based care, bringing integrated applications, population insights and staffing expertise to its owned and affiliate practices, ensuring high-quality care, better patient outcomes and a reduction in the total cost of care. Through Village Medical, Village Medical at Home, Summit Health, CityMD and other practices, VillageMD serves millions of patients throughout their lives, wherever and whenever they need care. Its dedicated workforce of more than 20,000 operates from 680 practice locations in 26 markets.

To learn more, please visit www.villageMD.com.

About the COPD Foundation

The COPD Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established to improve the lives of people with COPD, bronchiectasis, and nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease through initiatives that expand services and speed innovations to make treatment more effective and affordable. The Foundation does this through scientific research, education, advocacy, and awareness to prevent disease, slow progression, and find a cure. For more information, visit copdfoundation.org, or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.