Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
Pulmonary Rehabilitation at UC Davis Health
Pulmonary rehabilitation at UC Davis Health is an AACVPR-accredited program that empowers patients with lung conditions through education, exercise, motivation and support to help improve their quality of life. The multidisciplinary team of specialists provides a wide range of care to individuals and their families. The outpatient program includes a comprehensive evaluation, monitored and supervised exercise, education, psychosocial support and nutritional guidance.
Watch a video about pulmonary rehabilitation at UC Davis Health and how it changes lives.
Pulmonary rehabilitation helps participants
- Experience less difficulty with breathing
- Increase muscle strength and endurance
- Improve their abilities to handle daily activities
- Understand how to use medications and oxygen appropriately
- Improve quality of life
- Reduce hospitalizations
- Decrease depression and anxiety
Candidates for pulmonary rehabilitation
Individuals with a chronic pulmonary disease or condition that affects his/her functional status and quality of life is a candidate for pulmonary rehabilitation, including patients with:
- COPD (emphysema and/or chronic bronchitis),
including alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiencyWatch a video about Rockin' Rehab, a singing group of UC Davis Health pulmonary rehabilitation patients
- Persistent asthma
- Confirmed or suspected COVID–19 and experience persistent symptoms that include respiratory dysfunction for at least 4 weeks
- Bronchiectasis
- Cystic fibrosis, ages 13 and older
- Bronchiolitis obliterans
- Interstitial lung diseases such as interstitial pulmonary fibrosis
- Sarcoidosis
- Scleroderma
- Occupational and environmental lung diseases
- Pulmonary hypertension, WHO groups 1 to 5
- Chest wall disease such as kyphoscoliosis or ankylosing spondylitis
- Neuromuscular diseases such as post-polio syndrome, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), diaphragmatic dysfunction or multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Lung cancer or lung cancer surgery
- Lung volume reduction surgery
- Before and after lung transplant
- Obesity-related respiratory disease
Program details
UC Davis Health offers an eight-week formal program. Those who complete the formal program may join our maintenance program.
About the formal program
This is an 8-week outpatient program that meets two times per week for 1 ½ hours per session and once a week for education on Fridays 11:00-12:30 PM via Zoom.
The eight-week program meets three times a week on Monday and Wednesday or Tuesdays and Thursdays. Individuals can choose either a Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday class from a 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. class time. Each class consists of exercise and education. The exercise component consists of warm up, flexibility, upper/lower body strengthening, balance and endurance training.
We are currently offering virtual pulmonary rehab for eligible patients that meet criteria and per CMS Public Health Emergency (PHE) waiver. Complex patients are better served in a multidisciplinary, center-based PR program.
Education topics
- How the lungs work
- Breathing retraining and airway clearance
- Medications
- Conservation of energy
- Preventing lung infections
- Sleep hygiene
- Benefits of exercise
- Understanding pulmonary function and six-minute walk tests
- Nutrition
- Emotional health and well being
- Oxygen and travel
- Meditation, tai chi and yoga for chronic lung disease
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Advance directive and physician order for life-sustaining treatment (POLST) forms
You will need the following
- Diagnosis of a chronic lung disease
- Physician referral
- Pulmonary function test (post bronchodilator for COPD stages 2-4)
- Six-minute walk test
- Insurance authorization (or you may pay out-of-pocket)
- Insurance coverage informationPlease note that pulmonary rehabilitation is covered by most medical insurance plans, however some plans require authorization prior to treatment. We encourage you to check with your insurance provider before calling our team.
This program is for individuals who have completed a formal pulmonary rehabilitation program. The maintenance program is offered at four different times:
A monthly donation of $35 is appreciated.
Open to everyone in pulmonary rehabilitation
The following support groups are currently on hold until further notices
Our Location
2825 J Street, Suite 400
Sacramento, CA 95816 (map)
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM
All outside referrals must be faxed directly to our Referral Center at the number listed below: