Asthma in the managed care setting.
The quality improvement techniques of managed care are dramatically upgrading the delivery of asthma education and therapy, yielding cost-effective outcomes through a variety of approaches. Guidelines have been available in national and international references, but successful implementation outside of managed care has been poor. The complex components known to produce success in asthma care have not been properly reimbursed in the fee-for-service tradition. Even within managed care settings, attention to cost-effectiveness varies widely, and creative new approaches promise better returns than early asthma programs. Tools that managed care can offer for improved asthma outcomes and cost-effective options are presented.
O'Brien
K P
KP
Department of Allergy, Group Health Associates, Cincinnati, OH 45220, USA.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D017723:Drug Utilization Review; D006268:Health Facilities / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D006751:Hospital Information Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008329:Managed Care Programs; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011445:Prospective Payment System; D016896:Treatment Outcome