Our outpatient program (up to 18 sessions) is designed to treat patients with a wide variety of lung diseases, including asthma, bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, interstitial lung disease (ILD), lung cancer, and pulmonary hypertension. Patients may also be referred pre- and post-lung surgery, including lung transplantation. The exercise, which incorporates stretching, strength training, and aerobic training, is individually tailored to each patient's abilities.
Referring a Patient
If you have a patient with lung disease who you feel would be able to actively participate in pulmonary rehab and would like to enroll him/her in our program, please download our Referral Form and fax it to us at 617-983-7853 along with the patient's latest office note and most recent pulmonary function tests.
Upon receipt of the referral, a member of the pulmonary rehabilitation staff will review the information for eligibility based on clinical criteria as well as coverage by the patient’s insurance. If the patient is eligible, staff will contact him/her to discuss the program and schedule an evaluation.
Pre-Enrollment
We require pulmonary function tests to have been completed within the year prior to referral. Before beginning the program, each patient will be scheduled for an initial evaluation with pulmonary rehab staff in order to obtain a medical history and develop a care plan for the patient. A six minute walk test will be conducted during the evaluation. A repeat 6-minute walk test will be performed at the end of the program for comparative purposes.
Session Monitoring
Blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, dyspnea, pain, and breath sounds are monitored. Continuous telemetry monitoring is not used. If necessary, supplemental oxygen is titrated to maintain oxygen saturations above 90%. A patient with diabetes is required to check their blood sugar prior to and following exercise.
