PMID: 11901573Mar 21, 2002Paper

Case management of asthma for family practice patients: a pilot study

Military Medicine
Darin L Dinelli, James C Higgins

Abstract

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that affects between 14 and 15 million persons in the United States. It is responsible for more than 470,000 hospitalizations annually and an estimated $6 billion in total medical cost. The Asthma Case Management Program instituted at our hospital is based on the concept of patient self-management. It involves patient education, a home treatment plan (HTP), and physician/nurse follow-up. This study was performed to determine whether an organized case management program improves outcomes and cost in family practice asthma patients. A prospective cohort study of 48 asthmatic patients was conducted with a retrospective review. Data were obtained from health, pharmacy, and computer records. Forty-eight asthma patients, ages 1 year to adult, assigned to the Family Practice Department were enrolled in the Asthma Case Management Program. This cohort was offered asthma education from a provider trained in national asthma guidelines. Most of these patients received a coordinated HTP completed by their primary care provider. The asthma case manager initiated regularly scheduled nursing follow-up. Hospital admissions, emergency department and clinic visits, number of chest radiograph...Continue Reading

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