Findings from University of Alabama Birmingham in Managed Care Reported (The American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation National Pulmonary Rehabilitation Registry): Managed Care

2025 SEP 18 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health Policy and Law Daily -- Investigators publish new report on Managed Care. According to news reporting originating from Birmingham, Alabama, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “To describe the design of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) national pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) registry and the demographic and clinical characteristics of enrolled participants. We defined enrollment as attending at least 1 rehabilitation session.”

Financial support for this research came from AACVPR.

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from the University of Alabama Birmingham, “Participant characteristics are expressed as median (IQR) or number (%). We used participant zip codes to determine county of residence and created a heat map of participants per county in the continental US. In those aged 65 years and older, we compared participant characteristics with published data on Medicare beneficiaries. From 2013 to 2021, 70 085 individuals from 319 programs have enrolled. Median age is 70 years (63, 76), 52% are female, 78% are White, and 99% have health insurance. Comorbidities and a history of smoking are common. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, is the primary admission diagnosis for 71% of enrollees. At least 1 participant resides in 42% of continental US counties, with more representation in counties from the upper Midwest and East Coast of the US. Demographic characteristics of those aged 65 years and older are similar to samples of Medicare beneficiaries. The AACVPR PR registry provides a wealth of data to examine patient outcomes and quality of care in PR.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Not surprisingly, non-White individuals, those with lower education levels, and those who are uninsured are underrepresented in the AACVPR PR registry, reflecting national trends.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: The American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation National Pulmonary Rehabilitation Registry. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention, 2025;45(5):351-357. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention can be contacted at: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Two Commerce Sq, 2001 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA. (Lippincott Williams and Wilkins - www.lww.com; Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention - http://journals.lww.com/jcrjournal/pages/default.aspx)

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Todd M. Brown, University of Alabama Birmingham, Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, GSB455, 1720 2ND Ave South, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States. Additional authors for this research include Yu Zhang, George Howard, Gerene Bauldoff and Chris Garvey.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1097/HCR.0000000000000975. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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