HEALTHCARE
Towards better management of sleep apnea in Italy
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.
This image illustrates a personalized care model for patients suffering from sleep apnea, developed by Air Liquide.
The doctor's role:
- prescribes a treatment adapted to the patient's condition
- receives the adherence and quality of life's indicators
Air Liquide's role
Creates a personalized care plan, including:
- the patient's training on the good use of the CPAP4 medical device
- continuous remote monitoring
Role of the healthcare system
Performance-based remuneration: Air Liquide is remunerated according to treatment outcomes
Outcomes
An increased adherence to CPAP5
- Reduction of associated risks3
- At the best cost for the healthcare system
Key figures
3,000 patients in Italy have benefited from Air Liquide Healthcare’s outcome-oriented support
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.