Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #115915

Jacqueline Roberts Simmons, MD, MPH, CPE, Chief Medical Officer, Passport Health Plan, 305 W. Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202, 502-585-7065, jackie.simmons@amerihealthmercy.org

The presentation will provide attendees with a case study of Passport Health Plan's Asthma Disease Management Program established in 2000 for adults and children (ages 2 to 56) to improve members' health and quality of life and reduce unnecessary asthma-related hospitalization and emergency room use. Passport Health Plan, a not for profit, sole source Medicaid health plan with 130,000 members in the Louisville, Kentucky area and 15 surrounding counties serves low-income people, the chronically ill and disabled, foster children, newborns and their mothers, and children of low income working families.

The primary objectives of the program are: to identify those at high risk; to increase adherence to the National Institute of Health's (NIH) asthma guidelines on appropriate medication for the treatment of persistent asthma; and to specifically increase adherence to the NIH asthma guidelines for those on long-term controller medications.

More than 27,000 members have participated in the program. From 2000 through 2003, members receiving controller medications increased on average from 78% to 89%, members with an emergency room visit declined from 32.3% to 31.8%, admissions for a hospital intensive care visit declined from 0.6% to 0.5%, and members who visited a specialist increased from 13% to 14%.

Presenters will give examples of the program's efforts to educate members through one-on-one meetings, clear communications, and supportive materials and will include specially tailored alert materials that are distributed to providers who have Passport Health Plan asthma members in their practices.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Identify asthma patients who are high risk.
• 2. Increase adherence to the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) asthmas guidelines for patients on appropriate medication for the treatment of persistent asthma.
• 3. Increase adherence to the NIH asthmas guidelines for patients who have been prescribed long-term controller medications.
• 4. Create a patient education and prevention program to help manage asthma.
• 5. Develop communications to providers regarding special alert materials specially tailored to asthma patients in their practice.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.