Improving asthma management: one health plan's experience

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Health Services Research
• Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background:

• Asthma management traditionally relies on physician assessment.
• Integrating patient-reported outcomes (PROs) can offer a more comprehensive view of disease control.
• Healthcare systems seek to optimize asthma care and reduce resource utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if including patient-reported symptoms in asthma management improves patient outcomes.
• To determine if this approach reduces healthcare resource utilization.

Main Methods:

• A two-phase study was conducted within a health insurance network.
• Phase 1 used retrospective physician questionnaires to assess patient-reported symptoms.
• Phase 2 implemented patient questionnaires (Asthma Control Test) at office visits.

Main Results:

• Phase 1 showed a statistically significant decrease in asthma-related emergency department visits (3.71 to 2.92 per year).
• Hospitalizations showed a non-significant decrease (0.83 to 0.81 per year).
• Phase 2 results were pending at the time of reporting.

Conclusions:

• Including documented, patient-reported symptoms in asthma management appears to improve outcomes.
• Observed reductions in emergency department visits suggest potential healthcare cost savings.
• Managed care organizations are encouraged to incorporate patient perspectives into asthma management strategies.