Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Program

First ChoiceSM by Select Health of South Carolina members with COPD can join a special program to help them manage their condition.

Call 1-888-276-2020 (TTY 1-888-765-9586), and select the options for Rapid Response/Care Management, or visit the member portal today to join the COPD program.

What can the COPD program do for me?

The COPD program can help you:

  • Understand what COPD is.
  • Make a self-management plan.
  • Understand and manage your daily medications.
  • Learn the early warning signs of a COPD flare-up.

What is COPD?1

COPD is a lung disease that damages one or both of your lungs. When you have COPD, the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs are partly closed. This makes it hard to breathe.

COPD develops slowly, so it may take years before you see any of these symptoms:

  • Shortness of breath, especially with physical activity.
  • Continuous cough, especially if there is a lot of mucus or phlegm.
  • Chest tightness.
  • Wheezing (a whistling or squeaky sound when you breathe).

Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of COPD. If you would like to quit smoking, please call the South Carolina Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669). Talk to your provider about medicines that can help you quit.

Join the COPD program today

To join the COPD program, please call 1-888-276-2020 (TTY 1-888-765-9586), and select the options for Rapid Response/Care Management.

Or, you can log in to the member portal and go to Enroll in a Special Program.

Questions?

If you were a part of but no longer want to be in the COPD program, call 1-888-276-2020 (TTY 1-888-765-9586), and select the options for Rapid Response/Care Management. Leaving the program will not change your benefits. It will also not change the way First Choice or Healthy Connections treats you.   

 

1. “COPD,” National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/copd.