The Curbsiders Internal Medicine Podcast #456 Outpatient Oxygen Therapy
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Oct 7, 2024 Susan Jacobs, a leading expert and research nurse manager at Stanford, dives deep into the complicated world of outpatient oxygen therapy. She discusses critical prescribing practices and stresses the importance of patient education in community settings. Jacobs also addresses the impact of reimbursement policies on liquid oxygen access and highlights the need for legislative changes to improve therapy availability. Expect insightful discussions on patient qualifications, logistics, and how to navigate oxygen therapy while traveling!
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Test Patients On Their Real Device
- Do test patients on the actual equipment they will use and have them buy a pulse oximeter to monitor usual saturations.
- Jacobs stresses checking exertional sats on the delivered device since POCs, conserving regulators, and tanks behave differently.
Liquid Oxygen Is Lightweight High Flow But Hard To Get
- Liquid oxygen offers high continuous flows with much lighter portable canisters but is now rare due to DME reimbursement and logistics.
- Jacobs explains liquid reservoirs and weekly delivery made it ideal for mobile high-flow users before reimbursement cuts.
Explain Medicare Rental Terms And Extra Costs
- Do review costs and the five-year Medicare rental cadence with patients and counsel on out-of-pocket extras.
- Jacobs notes rental payments cover years 1–3 (patient pays ~20%) and patients pay for extra batteries or additional concentrators themselves.