The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

5160.0: Wednesday, November 13, 2002 - 2:45 PM

Abstract #37957

Environmental Management of Asthma at Top-Ranked U.S. Managed Care Organizations

Doug Brugge, PhD, MS, Janelle L Bagley, and James N. Hyde, MA, SM. Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02111, (617) 636-0326, dbrugge@aol.com

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the status of nationally top-ranked managed care organizations’ asthma disease management programs in order to identify programs that have made significant advances in the environmental treatment and control of asthma. To do this, application materials were developed and mailed to the top 34 managed care organizations around the country, as determined by the ranked results from the October 1998 edition of US News and World Report. Based on the results of a staff and panel review, five applicants were selected for site visitation. The results of the site visits determined the two finalists and three runners-up. Key findings were that while no organization visited had fully integrated the environmental control of asthma into its disease management program, two organizations in particular stood out. Each placed a significant emphasis on public collaboration, smoking cessation programs, and telephonic management, home visitation programs that included environmental factors as well as clinical considerations. These program components were judged to be essential components of programs striving to integrate the environmental management of asthma within an existing asthma disease management program.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: Asthma, Managed Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

New Approaches to Environmental Health Practice

The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA