System looks outside its own walls to find innovative way to cut kids' asthma admissions

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Healthcare Management
• Public Health

Background:

• Pediatric asthma is a significant cause of hospitalizations and emergency room visits.
• Effective outpatient management is crucial for controlling asthma and preventing severe exacerbations.
• Healthcare systems face pressure to reduce costs while maintaining quality of care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the initiation of an outpatient pediatric asthma disease management program.
• To reduce inpatient admissions and emergency room visits for pediatric asthma patients.
• To decrease healthcare costs associated with pediatric asthma management.

Main Methods:

• Collaboration with primary care physicians for front-line asthma management.
• Implementation of evidence-based practice guidelines for pediatric asthma.
• Provision of staff training and patient/family educational materials.

Main Results:

• The program, Partnership to ACE Asthma, is successfully launched.
• Focus on keeping mild asthma cases managed in outpatient settings.
• Aims to reduce hospital resource utilization for pediatric asthma.

Conclusions:

• Outpatient pediatric asthma management programs can be effectively initiated through primary care partnerships.
• Evidence-based guidelines and education are key components for program success.
• Such programs have the potential to reduce hospital admissions, ER visits, and associated costs.