Managed care opportunities for improving asthma care

Uncontrolled asthma is an enormous burden in terms of the propensity to reach asthma control in the future, direct and indirect costs, and health-related quality of life. The complex pathophysiology, treatment, and triggers of asthma warrant a unified, yet targeted, approach to care. No single factor is fully responsible for poor control. Complicating the problem of asthma control is adherence to long-term controller medications. The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) established several key points for asthma control, and developed classifications for asthma control and recommended actions for treatment. All parties involved in the management of asthma, including physicians, pharmacists, nurses, patients, family members, and insurance companies, need to be aware of the NAEPP guidelines. To determine if the goals of asthma therapy are being met, assessment of asthma outcomes is necessary. Unfortunately, some measures may get overlooked, and patient-reported outcomes (as assessed by the validated control instruments) are not often collected during routine examinations. The Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set measure for asthma may be used to quantify asthma care, but there is evidence that it does not fully capture the goals of asthma management. Most well-designed, education-based interventions are considered good value for money, but it can be difficult to put into practice such policy interventions. An optimal managed care plan will adhere to known evidence-based guidelines, can measure outcomes, is targeted to the patient's risk and impairment, and can adapt to changes in our understanding of asthma and its treatment.