Cambridge Health Alliance
Childhood Asthma Program
Childhood asthma is the leading cause of emergency department visits, hospitalizations and missed days of school. With no cure in sight, innovative practices to control the symptoms of asthma are vital to ameliorating this chronic condition and reducing medical costs. However, current reimbursement structures rarely compensate preventative measures, which take place outside medical facilities in the home and community.
To address these needs, Cambridge Health Alliance’s Childhood Asthma Program partnered with the public health system and other community organizations to reduce hospitalizations and emergency department visits through use of an asthma registry which provided tracking and performance reports used by primary care and community-based teams to drive proactive, population-based care. Teams of nurses and community health workers supported the care of primary care providers by meeting with patients and parents in the home to identify asthma triggers and improve adherence to asthma care plans, including medication management. Cambridge Health Alliance also developed online resources and tools to help identify children with asthma and help parents manage their children’s asthma. The tool kit consisted of educational programs, and MyChart, a feature in EPIC (EMR) that allows parents to actively participate in their child's care - see test results, request prescription refills and communicate with providers.
For the more than 3,000 children participating in the Childhood Asthma Program, asthma related admissions decreased by 45 percent and emergency department visits dropped by 50 percent. Adherence to medication increased, and home asthma triggers were reduced. The program has also has been cost effective. Cambridge estimates that the health system earned a return of approximately $4 for every $1 spent on the program from 2002 to 2009.
For more information, contact:
Laureen Gray
Cambridge Health Alliance
120 Beacon Street, 4th floor
Somerville, MA 02143
lkgray@challiance.org