title: An Official American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society Policy Statement: Enhancing Implementation, Use, and Delivery of Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) has demonstrated physiological, symptom-reducing, psychosocial, and health economic benefits for patients with chronic respiratory diseases, yet it is underutilized worldwide. Insufficient funding, resources, and reimbursement; lack of healthcare professional, payer, and patient awareness and knowledge; and additional patient-related barriers all contribute to the gap between the knowledge of the science and benefits of PR and the actual delivery of PR services to suitable patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objectives of this document are to enhance implementation, use, and delivery of pulmonary rehabilitation to suitable individuals worldwide.
  
  
  METHODS
  Members of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Pulmonary Rehabilitation Assembly and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Rehabilitation and Chronic Care Group established a Task Force and writing committee to develop a policy statement on PR. The document was modified based on feedback from expert peer reviewers. After cycles of review and revisions, the statement was reviewed and formally approved by the Board of Directors of the ATS and the Science Council and Executive Committee of the ERS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This document articulates policy recommendations for advancing healthcare professional, payer, and patient awareness and knowledge of PR, increasing patient access to PR, and ensuring quality of PR programs. It also recommends areas of future research to establish evidence to support the development of an updated funding and reimbursement policy regarding PR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ATS and ERS commit to undertake actions that will improve access to and delivery of PR services for suitable patients. They call on their members and other health professional societies, payers, patients, and patient advocacy groups to join in this commitment.
authors.forename: Carolyn L
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6343-6050
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Rochester
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vogiatzis
authors.forename: Anne E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.forename: Suzanne C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lareau
authors.forename: Darcy D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Marciniuk
authors.forename: Milo A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Puhan
authors.forename: Martijn A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Spruit
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Masefield
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Casaburi
authors.forename: Enrico M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Clini
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Crouch
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garcia-Aymerich
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garvey
authors.forename: Roger S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: Kylie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nici
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pitta
authors.forename: Andrew L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Ries
authors.forename: Sally J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Troosters
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Wijkstra
authors.forename: Barbara P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Yawn
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: ZuWallack
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D005060:Europe; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012955:Societies, Medical; D014481:United States
keywords: access; chronic respiratory diseases; healthcare; policy; pulmonary rehabilitation