Kaia Health and MedImprove Announce Collaboration to Launch Digital Pulmonary Rehabilitation Pilot for COPD Patients at ERS 2025 in Amsterdam
AMSTERDAM, Sept. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaia Health, a global leader in digital therapeutics for chronic disease management, today announced a new collaboration with MedImprove, a leading private lung rehabilitation clinic, to launch a pilot program of Kaia Breathe, its clinically validated digital pulmonary rehabilitation solution for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The announcement was made during the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress 2025 in Amsterdam.
COPD affects more than 16 million Americans and millions more worldwide. Despite strong evidence that pulmonary rehabilitation improves symptoms, exercise capacity, and quality of life, only 3–4% of eligible patients receive this therapy due to access barriers and limited program capacity. The Kaia Breathe–MedImprove pilot is designed to close that gap by delivering evidence-based pulmonary rehabilitation digitally—directly into patients' homes—with clinical oversight provided by MedImprove specialists, supported by Fluidda's Functional Respiratory Imaging (FRI) technology
Clinically Proven Benefits
Kaia Breathe has been validated in multiple randomized controlled and real-world studies, showing:
- CAT Score Improvement: Patients using Kaia Breathe improved their COPD Assessment Test (CAT) score by an average of –3 points, while the control group worsened by +4 points over six months — demonstrating both statistical and clinical significance
- Quality of Life Gains: Significant improvements were observed across validated health-related quality of life measures, including the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ)
- Physical Activity Increase: Patients using Kaia Breathe maintained a higher daily step count compared to controls, with many achieving the threshold of 5,000 steps/day — a critical marker for reducing COPD rehospitalization risk
- Improved Functional Capacity: Patients demonstrated meaningful improvement in the 1-Minute Sit-to-Stand Test (1MSTS), with average gains of more than one full repetition over baseline
Pilot Design & Reimbursement Pathways
The pilot will enroll 25–50 patients over a 16-week program. Patients will use pre-loaded tablets equipped with Kaia Breathe, which provides multimodal therapy including physical exercises, guided breathing techniques, condition education, and real-time feedback via Kaia's proprietary Motion Coach™ technology.
In addition to evaluating Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) reimbursement codes (98975, 98976, 98980, 98981), the pilot will also explore:
- Value-based care arrangements, aligning reimbursement with outcomes such as reduced exacerbations and hospitalizations.
- Patient self-pay models, offering affordable access to Kaia Breathe when reimbursement is not available.
Leadership Quotes
"This collaboration marks an important step in bringing equitable access to pulmonary rehabilitation," said Yury Rozenman, General Manager of Kaia Pulmonary Care. "By combining Kaia's clinical evidence — including CAT score improvements, better quality of life, and higher physical activity — with MedImprove's expertise in respiratory care, we aim to empower COPD patients to manage their condition from home while also demonstrating scalable reimbursement pathways across RTM, value-based, and direct-to-patient models."
"At MedImprove, our mission has always been to push the boundaries of lung rehabilitation," said Jan DeBacker, CEO of MedImprove. "By partnering with Kaia Health, we can leverage digital innovation and proven clinical outcomes to deliver accessible, efficient, and patient-centered pulmonary rehabilitation — whether reimbursed through codes, bundled into value-based care, or offered directly to patients."
The pilot program will measure patient engagement, adherence, clinical outcomes, and reimbursement success across models. Results will provide critical real-world evidence on how digital pulmonary rehabilitation can improve outcomes, reduce costs, and scale across care settings.
About Kaia Health
Kaia Health is a global leader in digital therapeutics, providing evidence-based programs for chronic disease management. Its clinically validated Kaia Breathe solution brings pulmonary rehabilitation directly to patients' homes, powered by AI and supported by health coaches.
About MedImprove
Medimprove is a network of advanced respiratory clinics dedicated to improving lung health through cutting-edge diagnostics, personalized treatment plans, and targeted rehabilitation programs. Combining technologies like Functional Respiratory Imaging (FRI), cardio-pulmonary exercise testing, and digital health tools, Medimprove provides comprehensive care for patients with chronic lung diseases and those seeking to optimize their cardiopulmonary performance.
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SOURCE Kaia Health