The Community of Madrid, Spain, has selected Air Liquide to support at home 70,000 patients living with respiratory conditions. In Spain, the autonomous regional governments are responsible for organising healthcare resources in their respective regions, and therefore also for designing and implementing the outsourcing of these resources. This five-year contract follows a public tender process, during which Air Liquide’s proposal stood out for the operational excellence and the effectiveness of its digital and AI solutions, which are designed to improve patient health outcomes and their quality of life in their homes, by optimizing the care pathway at the lowest cost to society. It also consolidates Air Liquide’s leadership position in the Spanish market.
With this contract, Air Liquide will provide care for people living with respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and sleep apnea. According to the WHO and the European Respiratory Society (ERS), COPD cases are projected to increase by 23% globally by 2050. The healthcare services provided at home enable chronic patients to meet their needs and maintain their autonomy and quality of life.
The contract was awarded based on a comprehensive, personalized support proposal tailored to patient profiles, with special monitoring for highly dependent individuals. From hospital discharge to home, Air Liquide’s approach includes several ways, at the patient’s choice, to interact with (in-person visits, video consultations, digital tools) and also telemonitoring, educational and psychological support, to provide continuous support and facilitate the early detection of compliance issues and real-time treatment adaptation. An App, already used by 100,000 patients, is part of the approach and a platform, which collects data and measures health outcomes, is integrated into the healthcare professionals’ portal. This shared access, coupled with proactive monitoring, aims to improve patients’ health outcomes and reduce hospital admissions’ risks, thereby helping to contain healthcare costs.
Patients and healthcare professionals can rely on the expertise of an experienced and highly qualified multidisciplinary team of the Air Liquide, including nurses, physiotherapists, pulmonologists, clinical psychologists, speech therapists, and nutritionists. Ongoing training and biannual skills assessments complement their specific training in home respiratory therapies.
Diana Schillag, member of Air Liquide’s Executive Committee, overseeing Healthcare,stated:
“This new contract with the Community of Madrid, in Spain, illustrates our ability to innovate and deliver quality healthcare services tailored to the needs of patients at home. In addition to the human support of our teams, the integration of advanced technologies, such as predictive algorithms, cost-effectiveness assessments of telemonitoring, and the use of artificial intelligence demonstrate an innovative approach aimed at improving patients’ quality of life and generating a positive impact on the healthcare system.”