Intermountain Health researchers presented findings from a groundbreaking study showing that AI-driven continuous care for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma patients results in a 50 percent reduction in hospitalizations, 20 percent fewer emergency department visits, and 57 percent lower overall costs. The research addresses what investigators describe as a critical gap in medical care organization: weeks or months between patient visits in which risk accumulates invisibly.
The iCARE (Intermountain COPD and Adult Asthma Remote Evaluation) study enrolled more than 1,200 patients across five Intermountain Health hospitals in Utah over two years. Each patient carried a digital spirometer measuring lung function, with additional monitoring devices tracking blood oxygen saturation, inhaler technique and adherence, and lifestyle metrics. The devices generated more than 11.5 million data points—approximately 24 signals per patient per day—feeding into CareCentra’s predictive intelligence platform.
The system operated through tiered interventions, first monitoring for early deterioration signals: drops in forced expiratory volume, dips in oxygen saturation, consecutive missed doses, and changes in breathing and sleep patterns. CareCentra’s AI served as the first response, detecting risk signals and deploying behavioral nudges to shape patient behavior. When signals converged into higher-risk situations, the platform escalated to pulmonary disease navigators—registered respiratory therapists trained to coordinate care. According to Dr. Crossno, this “is not a call-center triage” but “precision escalation: every navigator contact is triggered by data.”
Clinical results: total cost of care fell 57 percent per patient per year (from $36,837 to $15,899), hospital admissions were cut in half with a 50.3 percent reduction, emergency department visits declined 20 percent, and observation stay costs decreased 73 percent. Outpatient costs fell 29 percent even as outpatient visit volume declined 12 percent, indicating patients reached clinical stability rather than shifting utilization between settings. Patient engagement ran at 54 percent daily active use overall and rose with age, with patients in their eighties showing the highest engagement at 62.5 percent.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/06/02/3305712/0/en/Intermountain-Health-Research-Study-Finds-AI-Technology-is-a-Game-Changer-for-the-Treatment-of-Two-of-the-Most-Common-Chronic-Pulmonary-Conditions-in-the-World.html