MUSC respiratory therapist Brooke Yeager recently joined representatives from across the country on behalf of the American Association for Respiratory Care to support lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C.

On March 8, Yeager spoke for the nearly 3,000 respiratory therapists in South Carolina in meetings with Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint, newly-elected Rep. Tim Scott of Charleston and the rest of the state's congressional delegation. Yeager and other respiratory therapists lobbied for a Medicare Respiratory Therapy Initiative bill.

Brooke Yeager with Scott Lane, left, a respiratory therapist from Columbia, and
Rep. Joe Wilson, S.C. Second District.

The bill, which was introduced in the House of Representatives on the day of the visit, would allow qualified respiratory therapists with a minimum of the advanced registered respiratory therapist credentials and a bachelors degree in a health science field to practice under the general, rather than the direct, supervision of a physician.

Currently, respiratory therapists work primarily in hospitals or in physicians' offices under direct oversight. The bill would free physicians to spend more time with patients and would allow respiratory therapists to provide essential services such as inhalation medication management, smoking cessation education, management of the non-hospitalized patients on ventilators, and education about disease states, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Yeager said currently, there is a revolving-door effect going on with COPD and other chronic disease patients who would benefit from having more educational support. "They come into the hospital with a problem, are treated and released with minimal attention paid to educating the patient on avoiding further problems. There simply is not enough time to properly teach disease management while patients are admitted, and it also involves poor timing. As most health care professionals know, trying to teach a patient anything new while they are in acute pain or are stressed is simply ineffective."

Patients often only have access to respiratory therapists in hospital settings. Currently, the education efforts only reach a small number of respiratory patients who are eligible for pulmonary rehabilitation programs, she said.

"COPD and related diseases have become the third leading cause of death in the U.S. This is an increase from the fourth leading cause of death just last year. Unfortunately, the number of cases is increasing with the aging population and our health care system is facing the daunting task of providing these patients with effective care. It's like trying to stem the flood by sticking your finger in a dam," Yeager said.

"This bill would most certainly save us money in the long run as the cost of a respiratory therapist providing care outside of the hospital is drastically less than provision of care within the hospital."

Rep. Mike Ross, Arkansas, introduced the bill in the House. Senator Mike Crapo, Idaho, will introduce the companion bill in the Senate. Yeager works in the newly-renovated Cardio-Pulmonary Rehabilitation Facility inside the Bee Street Garage.