Asthma Improvement Collaborative Reduced ER Visits and Hospitalizations in Medicaid Population

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Carolyn M. Kercsmar, MD Co-Director, Division of Pulmonary Medicine Director, Asthma Center Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine Cincinnati, Ohio

Dr. Kercsmar

Dr. Carolyn M. Kercsmar, MD
Co-Director, Division of Pulmonary Medicine
Director, Asthma Center
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine
Cincinnati, Ohio 

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Asthma is the most common chronic condition of childhood and is responsible for substantial morbidity and health care costs, in large portion as a result of emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Moreover, children who live in poverty and are members of minority groups are disproportionately affected.

Our paper reports the results of a quality improvement project that spanned the inpatient, outpatient and community settings and resulted in significant reduction in emergency department visits and hospitalizations for asthma in urban children insured by Medicaid.

MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Response: Broad based interventions that are based on the chronic care model and involve changes in health care systems across multiple setting and disciplines can improve asthma outcomes.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: Future work should focus on replicating these findings in other settings and with other personnel, such as community health workers as interventionalists and a formal economic evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of the program. 

Disclosures: This work was supported by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and in part by a grant from Health Information Technology Beacon Program to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and grant 90BC00116/01 for development of web-based asthma registry and health care use alerts. 

MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.

Citation:

Kercsmar CM, Beck AF, Sauers-Ford H, Simmons J, Wiener B, Crosby L, Wade-Murphy S, Schoettker PJ, Chundi PK, Samaan Z, Mansour M. Association of an Asthma Improvement Collaborative With Health Care Utilization in Medicaid-Insured Pediatric Patients in an Urban Community. JAMA Pediatr. Published online September 18, 2017. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.2600

Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.

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Last Updated on September 30, 2017 by Marie Benz MD FAAD