Recorded presentation

Cynthia Kelly, MD, Health Promotion/Disease Prevention, Center for Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, 855 W. Brambleton Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23510, 757 668 6443, ckelly@chkd.com, Elisa Nicholas, MD, MSPH, Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma, The Children's Clinic, 2651 Elm Ave Suite 100, Long Beach, CA 90806, Marielena Lara, MD, MPH, UCLA/RAND Program on Latino Children with Asthma, UCLA and University of Puerto Rico, 1700 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401, James Krieger, MD, MPH, Epidemiology, Planning and Evaluation Unit, Public Health - Seattle & King County, 999 Third Ave, Suite 1200-EPE, Seattle, WA 98104, and John R. Meurer, MD, MBA, Pediatrics (Community Care), Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, MFRC CAUC, Milwaukee, WI 53226-0509.

Background: The discordance between the national asthma guidelines and practice patterns among health care providers is well documented. Lack of incentives to comply with guidelines and barriers imposed by insurers and health care systems are cited as reasons for not implementing recommended guidelines.

Methods: The Allies Against Asthma coalitions provided opportunities to bring together health care providers, allied health professionals, insurers and managed care organizations in strategic planning processes aimed at changing provider practices within each community. Interventions were targeted at changing the behavior of clinicians and the management strategies of health care systems.

Results: A variety of approaches were used to engage physicians and organizations in improving delivery of asthma care. The implementation of PACE (Physician Asthma Care Education) and training for nurses were successful tools in many of the sites. Involvement of medical directors at managed care organizations/hospitals in identifying participants and encouraging attendance was helpful. Other strategies to engage physicians included linkage with community health workers, increased access to educational materials, and involvement of regional specialists and champions. Learning Collaboratives, registries and academic detailing were also employed. Often the coalition advocated for changes in institutional practices and local reimbursement policies. Additional outcomes of these programs will be discussed.

Conclusion: Physician, allied health professionals, managed care organizations, and coalitions can be enlisted to work collaboratively to improve the clinical care delivered to asthmatic children in their community. Strategic planning is imperative to successfully engage participants and provide rewarding outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe a collaborative approach to change physician behavior to improve the clinical care of asthmatic patients.

Keywords: Asthma, Coalition

Related Web page: alliesagainstasthma.net

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.

Recorded presentation