OBJECTIVES: To describe the savings generated in an integrated care program for complex respiratory pathologies.

METHODS: Descriptive, cross-sectional study in a cohort of patients with asthma and COPD seen in an integrated care program for complex respiratory pathologies between November 2019 - December 2022. Patients were evaluated and followed up by a multidisciplinary group of health professionals including a physician, nurse, pharmaceutical chemist, and respiratory therapist; according to the evolution of the patients, pharmacological treatment was optimized. Univariate analysis was performed, with summary measures of central tendency, and relative and cumulative frequencies. The statistical package R Core Team Version 4.2 (2022) was used.

RESULTS: During the period evaluated, 1009 patients were identified, of whom 122 (12.1%) had their pharmacological treatment optimized (82% of COPD and 18% of asthma), with a mean age of 60 years (SD: 18), and 65.6% (80) women. According to the clinical results obtained, pharmacological treatment was changed in 44.3% of the cases (54 patients); total suspension of therapy in 37.7% (46 patients), dose adjustment in 13.1% (16 patients), avoiding the initiation of pharmacological therapy in 4.1% (5 patients) and spacing in the frequency of administration of biological drugs in 0.8%. These strategies generated a total savings of 194,464.66 USD and the drugs associated with these savings were mainly tiotropium 36.1%, omalizumab 19.7%, olodaterol/tiotropium 14.8%, budesonide/formoterol 8.2%, montelukast/levocetirizine 8.2%, montelukast 7.4%, benralizumab 2.5% and other drugs 3.3%.

CONCLUSIONS: The approach to patients by a multidisciplinary team of health professionals allows for obtaining satisfactory clinical results in patients and optimization of pharmacological therapies, generating savings for the health system.