The National Committee for Quality Assurance has developed a widely implemented tool for measuring performance in healthcare facilities called Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS). To increase the productivity of the healthcare system, it is mandatory to properly address and optimize every aspect of it, and HEDIS excels in this task. The following paper will discuss three different patient interventions in medication management for people with asthma and the asthma medication ratio.
The first intervention I would like to discuss is the control of environmental triggers. People spend most of their day indoors, and a big portion of that time is spent at home. The study conducted by the CDC has shown that scheduled home visits by community health workers, who check houses for the asthma trigger measures and help with their removal, reduce Medicaid costs (Marshall et al., 2020). Such optimizations of living space greatly reduce rescue medication use and hospital visits.
To properly assess the impact of this intervention, I would compare household spending on medications, a number of related doctor visits, and a self-reported number of asthma incidents per year before and after the intervention. It is expected that scheduled home visits will lower the hospital’s expenses on medications and readmissions. At the same time, clinicians will establish strong relationships with patients, leading to positive reviews and higher NP patient ratings.
Adherence to medication use recommendations is an issue I would like to acknowledge as well. Simply following the guidelines-based medical management reduces the out-of-pocket costs of asthma treatment, as low or irregular medication usage is directly linked to frequent hospitalizations (Hsu et al., 2018). Outcomes in patients with adherence >75% have shown that effective usage of medication improves the quality of life, while patients with adherence <50% missed more work/school days and visited doctors more often (Hsu et al., 2018). The education of patients with asthma and their families should begin immediately after the diagnosis and focus on teaching skills for dealing with asthma, and correcting and reinforcing behaviors to reduce its severity and occurrence.
The educational course should not simply provide information; it is advised to test the skills of trainees after the course. To measure the outcomes, I would use a self-reported questionnaire and compare its results with overall statistics. Such preventive methods are cost-effective because they are likely to reduce the rate of complications (Luskin et al., 2017). Moreover, as shown above, people with higher adherence visit their provider less often. Overall, an educated patient will also not be frustrated about their health, being positive and confident in their and their nurses’ skills.
The third intervention is more government-controlled. However, it is possible to give adequate suggestions to a patient that could help with the reduction of symptoms. There is strong evidence of air pollution and increased asthma-related ED visits and hospitalizations, especially in children (Hsu et al., 2018). Particular jobs and workplaces can induce or worsen asthma. It is advised for people with this condition to reduce exposure to such triggers as pollen, cigarette smoke, vehicle exhaust, and similar.
To help with the situation, one should try improving the ventilation, replacing workplace materials, or, if necessary, change a job, but these triggers are to be avoided at all costs. As a nurse, I would thoroughly discuss the usual day at work or school and highlight potential threats to a patient’s health status. Governmental interventions act on a massive scale and do not reduce practice’s budgets, thus positively influencing savings. While this intervention may not directly affect NP patient ratings, it will demonstrate that nurses are highly committed patient advocates with great interest in public health.
In conclusion, poor asthma control and an unhealthy environment are the main reasons for the high costs accompanying this disease. These increased costs are primarily a result of increased annual medication and hospital usage for patients with a high versus low asthma medication ratio (Luskin et al., 2017). Implementation and promotion of the correct asthma management could save billions of dollars for the US and create a trusting nurse-patient relationship.
References
Hsu, J., Sircar, K., Herman, E., & Garbe, P. (2018). EXHALE: A technical package to control asthma. Web.
Luskin, A.T., Antonova, E.N., Broder, M.S., Chang, E., Raimundo, K., & Solari, P.G. (2017). Patient outcomes, health care resource use, and costs associated with high versus low HEDIS asthma medication ratio. Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, 23(11), 1117-1124. Web.
Marshall, E.T., Guo, J., Flood, E., Sandel, M.T., Sadof, M.D., & Zotter, J.M. (2020). Home visits for children with asthma reduce Medicaid costs. Preventing Chronic Diseasepublic Health Research, Practice, and Policy, 17(11). Web.