Asthma involves an inflammation of the air passages that results in periodic, temporary narrowing of the airways that make it difficult to breath. Asthma is one of the most common chronic illnesses in the US affecting approximately 14.6 million adults and 4.4 million children. Every day in the United States, 40,000 miss school or work due to asthma, 30,000 people have an asthma attack, 5,000 visit the emergency room, 1,000 are admitted to the hospital, and 14 die from asthma. The annual cost of asthma is the US is estimated to be nearly $18 Billion, including $10 Billion in direct medical costs and $8 Billion in lost earnings due to illness and death.

ForeSee’s Asthma program is designed to improve the health and quality of life for persons with Asthma and reduce healthcare costs by preventing unnecessary emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Though there is no cure, asthma can be managed with proper preventative measures and medication. The aim of ForeSee’s Asthma program is to ensure that participants understand the factors that cause asthma attacks and what they need to do every day to keep their asthma under control.

Outreach Home Assessment

ForeSee’s Asthma Outreach Program is a unique initiative that provides in home assessment and education for participants at highest risk, and works with the treating physician to develop strategies to control the disease and improve quality of life. Criteria for the Outreach Home Assessment include:

• History of ER/hospital utilization;
• New diagnosis of Asthma;
• Lack of congruence between patient history and symptoms;
• Environmental history;
• Marked education deficit, especially in Asthma management techniques;
• Family/social concerns;
• Provider referral;
• Oral Prednisone use;
• Worsening of peak flow.

During the home visit ForeSee’s Outreach Coordinator assesses medication use and compliance, peak flow meter use, Asthma triggers, and family/social issues. Based on the assessment, the Outreach Coordinator will provide education resources, including appropriate use of medications and environmental control. The home assessment provides valuable insight into the complicated issues that may be affecting the participant’s Asthma management and allows the RN Care Manager to address these issues as part of the care plan development process.

ForeSee has selected the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHBI) Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma: Update on Selected Topics 2002 and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology: Pediatric Asthma, Promoting Best Practice-Guide for Managing Asthma in Children as the basis for developing measurements, risk stratifications, disease/care management strategies, and patient/provider interventions. These guidelines are shared with participating physicians and participants. All Asthma educational materials, including newsletters and educational “tip sheets”, are developed and continually assessed for compliance with these guidelines.