COPD Foundation Launches PRAXIS to Reduce COPD Hospital Readmissions

September 28, 2015

Washington, D.C. – September 28, 2015 – The COPD Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to curing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is excited to announce the launch of its most recent initiative: PRAXIS (Prevent and Reduce COPD Admissions through eXpertise and Innovation Sharing). The initiative is a result of the recommendations that were developed by experts and patient advocates that convened at the National Readmissions Summit held in Washington, D.C. in October of 2013. Sunovion Pharmaceuticals is the founding sponsor of PRAXIS.

PRAXIS PRAXIS is a robust collaborative and multidisciplinary effort to advance the scientific knowledge around ways to reduce COPD readmissions. The program’s mission is to prevent and reduce hospital admissions through expertise and innovation sharing, and aims to reduce the burden of COPD exacerbations and hospital readmissions by aligning the goals of families, patients, and providers with those of the CMS Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program. The initiative will enable the proactive identification and elimination of gaps in COPD care.

The backbone of the project will be an interactive website that contains:

  • Discussion boards and a blog, to facilitate sharing of best practices;
  • A resource repository full of toolkits, articles, and promising practices related to improving COPD care and reducing readmissions;
  • A learning center where we will host live, video, and paper professional development opportunities;
  • A policy corner containing relevant policy statements and legislative news, and
  • An innovation center where we’ll keep the community up to date on promising new approaches and technology.

“The PRAXIS initiative is a much-needed asset to the COPD Foundation’s offerings for patient and health care communities and would not have been possible without the generous support of Sunovion Pharmaceuticals,” says John W. Walsh, COPD Foundation president and co-founder, “front-line clinical providers, care delivery systems designers, policymakers, and health care solutions companies are looking for solutions to help reduce COPD readmission rates. PRAXIS will assist these parties by addressing the obstacles that contribute to the problem and help them to develop practical and effective implementation strategies.”

“Every part of the coordinated care team should be focused on curtailing the costs and impacts associated with hospital readmission of COPD patients," said Henry McMillan, Senior Director Marketing, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. “Our partnership with the COPD Foundation to create PRAXIS is just one example of our focus on working collaboratively across multiple disciplines to uncover real-world solutions that support the doctor, caregiver, and patient during the transition from a hospital stay.”