RIDGEFIELD, Conn., May 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Boehringer Ingelheim and Optimum Patient Care today announced the creation of a new patient registry, APEX COPD (Advancing the Patient Experience in COPD), to better understand COPD and how it can be typically treated in primary care offices. This registry will be the first-of-its-kind, specifically designed to improve the management of patients with COPD, all in the primary care setting, which reflects the reality of the COPD patient experience.

This new registry will report findings and insights to be shared in academic journals and medical congresses. In addition, the registry will provide real-time, patient-reported information as well as relevant information from the electronic medical record (EMR) in a structured format to physicians at the point-of-care. This information will aid physicians in making a clinical judgment.

COPD is the fourth leading cause of death, affecting more than 1 in 20 adults in the United States.1,2 Despite its high prevalence, only a fraction of people with COPD have been diagnosed and some diagnosed patients may not be getting the treatment they need.3 Primary care physicians treat the majority of COPD patients - more than pulmonologists or any other type of health care provider. However, recent research suggests greater awareness is needed among primary care physicians to ensure a more timely diagnosis and appropriate management of this chronic condition.

The registry, which will eventually enroll 3,000 COPD patients who are being treated by a primary care physician, will retrospectively and prospectively collect EMR data for patients and supplement these data through patient-reported information.