The CGHA asthma management program and its effect upon pediatric asthma admission rates

Asthma is the most common reason for admission to the hospital for children nationally. This hospitalization rate is stable despite availability of appropriate outpatient treatments. Our Cincinnati Group Health Associates (CGHA) asthma management program has evolved since 1989. We have measured our pediatric population along with asthma admissions since 1993. Our admission pattern is compared to the community in general and to our managed care population in particular. Our urban center's admission pattern is also studied. Our CGHA pediatric asthma admissions have been declining steadily over the 1993-2000 period by 60%. This decrease is in contrast to national trends in this time period. Comparison to total admissions from 1993 through 2000 still shows a 50% decline whether 0-18 years or 0-5 years is studied. Our urban pediatric center also had a fall in pediatric asthma admission rates of 80% in this time frame; all of these results are statistically significant. Our major managed care network also showed a decline of 55% in pediatric asthma admissions from 1996 to 1999. Our CGHA asthma management program has had a positive influence on our pediatric asthma admission rates. This effect is favorable in comparison to national trends in pediatric asthma admissions. This trend is independent of disease acuity, region of the city where patients live, insurance selection, or age.