Providing better support to patients while helping to build a more sustainable healthcare system – that is what the solutions developed by Air Liquide in Italy are doing for people living with sleep apnea. Through personalized care, the Group contributes to improved patient adherence and better quality of life. Meanwhile, by linking payment to outcomes, home healthcare can be delivered at the best cost for the Italian healthcare system.
Widespread but underdiagnosed, sleep apnea syndrome(1) can be treated effectively through appropriate care and monitoring. In Italy, Air Liquide is working with the national healthcare system to provide patients with personalized support paired with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) supply. Once the treatment is prescribed by a doctor, Air Liquide’s teams set up a personalized care plan to promote patient adherence, including initiation, device selection, educational materials, and training for family members. Additional support is also provided to reduce sleepiness and improve quality of life through a mobile app and monitoring by Air Liquide’s teams.
In 2024, several contracts signed with regional health authorities introduced remuneration for Air Liquide, as the home healthcare service provider, based on outcomes in patient treatment adherence. Data collected through remote monitoring show how many hours the device is used and the number and duration of apnea events during sleep. Provided to healthcare professionals and payers, the data can be used to assess treatment adherence and sleep quality, while at the same time providing the basis for payments to the Group. Personalized support combined with remote monitoring improves compliance with CPAP treatment compared with standard monitoring, as shown by a Spanish study(2). Improved adherence is correlated with a reduction in sleep apnea-related health risks, as well as a reduction in healthcare consumption and associated costs(3).
In 2024, 3,000 patients in Italy received this support. Building on the Group’s expertise in home healthcare and the experience gained through similar initiatives in several other countries, Air Liquide’s teams in Italy developed a value-based healthcare approach, result-oriented and tailored to the national healthcare system. This approach reflects the Group's commitments to prioritize patient-centered support, aiming to deliver optimal care at the best possible cost, thereby contributing to a more efficient and virtuous healthcare system for families and the community.
(2) Rudilla D, Perelló S, Landete P, et al. PIMA Study. Improvement of adherence and quality of life of obstructive sleep apnea under PAP treatment through an intervention based on the stratification and personalization of care plans: a randomized controlled trial. Rev Patol Respir 2021: 24: 125-134.
(3) Gagnadoux F, Bequignon E, Prigent A, Micoulaud-Franchi JA, Chambe J, Texereau J, Alami S, Roche F. The PAP-RES algorithm: Defining who, why and how to use positive airway pressure therapy for OSA. Sleep Med Rev. 2024 Jun; 75:101932.
(4) Continuous Positive Airway Pressure.
(5) Telemedicine interventions for CPAP adherence in obstructive sleep apnea patients: Systematic review and Meta-analysis, by Gonzalo Labarca, Alexia Schmidt, Jorge Dreyse, Jorge Jorquera, Ferran Barbe, Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2021.
