New research and evidence-based self-management programs are now emerging in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Patients with moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who receive a self-management education with supervision and support of a case manager, have better outcomes than patients receiving standard care. The benefits are on patients' health status and healthcare utilization with markedly decreased hospitalizations, emergency department and unscheduled physician visits. These benefits are worth considering since self-management could also be cost saving. There is no reason to question the value of self-management in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, especially for those patients who have a decreased health-related quality of life and high exacerbation rate. Self-management should be an integral part of the long-term care of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Rather than telling the patient to learn to live with their disease, they should be taught to self-manage.