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In clinical trials, pulmonary rehabilitation lowers risk for readmission following hospitalization for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. In this retrospective cohort study, researchers evaluated nearly 200,000 Medicare patients hospitalized with COPD across more than 4000 medical centers to determine if this association holds up in routine practice. Patients who underwent pulmonary rehabilitation were healthier overall than those who didn't. Therefore, the researchers assembled and compared two propensity-matched cohorts, each with 2700 patients: One group received rehabilitation and the other did not, but baseline characteristics were well-matched in the two groups.
Patients who initiated pulmonary rehabilitation w…