Disease management, a new treatment model that may improve outcomes for patients with chronic illness, emphasises the need for formal assessments often not included in traditional approaches to healthcare, such as environmental exposures, self-care skills and functional status. This article...

Objectives: To identify the asthma prevalence rate, the total healthcare and asthma-related treatment costs, and the medical and pharmacy costs associated with different asthma medication usage patterns in a managed-care organisation (MCO). Study design and participants: The medical and pharmacy...

The Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS(R)) of the National Committee for Quality Assurance is a set of standardized performance measures, the goal of which is to enable purchasers and consumers to evaluate the quality of different health plans. The HEDIS(R) `Use of Appropriate...

Asthma in the US is widespread, with incidence rates and morbidity increasing dramatically over the last 2 decades. The cost of asthma-related morbidity and mortality is large. There is substantial and convincing evidence that environmental factors are associated with asthma exacerbation, and...

Objective: Patients with severe asthma often require short courses of oral corticosteroids in addition to their daily inhaled steroid to maintain adequate lung function. The objective of this study was to compare two management strategies for the treatment of severe asthma. A budesonide-based...

The worldwide asthma prevalence is estimated to be 150 million and is increasing in most developed countries. This review examines evidence for the burden of illness caused by nonadherence in asthma, reasons for nonadherence, and the effectiveness of interventions to improve adherence. Evidence...

In 2002, an asthma disease management program was initiated in Washington State in the US. The program was designed for clients of the state's Medicaid program, which provides health coverage for qualified low-income state residents. In response to the escalating cost of healthcare and because...

Corporations have engaged in sponsorship of health management programs and, more recently, disease management programs to facilitate healthy and productive work environments. The purpose of this review is to examine the health and financial outcomes from these corporate-sponsored disease...

The reality of everyday asthma care differs substantially from guidelines. The fact that better possibilities for asthma care do not result in better outcomes remains an enigma and harms professional pride. Patient self-management has been presented as a tool to improve outcome of care. Based on...

Poor adherence with medical regimens by patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major problem facing medical practitioners, with patients typically taking approximately half the prescribed doses of self-administered medications. Poor adherence with medication...