The Big Picture
A new AI-powered app co-created in Utah is changing how care teams monitor and support patients with chronic lung disease. Instead of waiting for a patient’s next appointment — or the next crisis — the technology helps care teams track patient health around the clock and step in earlier when the data shows signs of trouble.
The program, used for patients with COPD and asthma, combines connected devices, predictive analysis, and a patient-facing app with support from pulmonary disease navigators. Kim Bennion, who directs research for respiratory care, sleep and EEG for Intermountain Health, said one of the most innovative parts of the program is “the ability to aggregate data” from Bluetooth-connected devices, the patient app, and predictive analytics.
That information gives care teams a more complete picture of what is happening between visits — and helps shift care from reactive to proactive.
What’s Happening
Patients in the program use at-home devices that send health information into the app and care-team dashboard. Those tools include inhaler sensors that show when medication is used and whether a patient has enough inspiratory flow to deliver medication to the lungs, a home screening spirometer that tracks lung function, and a pulse oximeter that measures oxygen levels, heart rate, and respiratory rate.
The system also asks patients to report symptoms — including whether they are coughing, short of breath, producing mucus, or feeling better or worse. If lung-function data drops by 10%, the system can trigger an alert to both the patient and the pulmonary disease navigator.
Megan Hepworth, a pulmonary disease navigator and licensed respiratory therapist at Intermountain Medical Center, said the AI embedded in the app helps motivate patients and support behavior change. It reminds patients to enter information, helps them track their own health, and gives care teams a dashboard to monitor trends from a distance.
That monitoring allows navigators to see when a patient may need help sooner. In one example from the script, Megan described seeing a patient’s trending data over 60 days, recognizing concerning dips, and working with the physician to get the patient antibiotics.
The study results were recently presented at the American Thoracic Society 2026 International Conference in Orlando, Florida. After that presentation, health systems and researchers began reaching out to learn more. One physician connected to the work said the follow-up included “a lot of contacts going how do we do this? How do we get this into the water?” and that the momentum has also led to NIH grant applications with partners at Mt. Sinai in New York.
Kim said the work did not happen overnight. The program grew out of more than a decade of baseline research, including the creation of a COPD playbook and an asthma playbook based on international standards — the GOLD standards for COPD and the GINA guidelines for asthma.
Why It Matters
The early results are significant. Kim said the program has seen a 57% decrease in direct cost — from about $37,000 per patient per year to about $16,000 per patient per year. Observation stays, where patients come to the emergency room but are not sick enough to be fully admitted, dropped by 73%.
For patients, the difference can be even more personal. The script opens with one patient saying, “This app saved my life.” The technology helps patients better understand their own health and gives them a direct touchpoint with a care team member who can help escalate concerns quickly.
Kim emphasized that the program is not designed to replace the human side of care. Instead, she said it depends on both technology and personal connection.
“All the technology is great, but you’ve got to have high tech and high touch,” Kim said. That is where pulmonary disease navigators become physician extenders — coordinating with patients, supporting providers, and helping create a faster path to care when a patient needs it.
The Bottom Line
This Utah-built program shows how AI, connected devices, and human care teams can work together to better support patients with chronic lung disease.
By monitoring patients between visits, identifying warning signs earlier, and helping pulmonary disease navigators intervene faster, the program is already showing promising results in cost reduction, patient engagement, and improved care coordination.
Because of those outcomes, Kim said Intermountain is now working to make the program a standard of care — expanding it beyond the five hospitals where it began so it can be offered to more patients across the system.
And as interest grows nationally, the program’s impact may reach well beyond Utah.