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 Pharmacologic Care for Asthma
"I've been a stonemason for 30 years, working outside in all kinds of weather and breathing in lots of concrete and stone dust. I also have asthma, but I never thought it was a big deal. As I started getting older, though, I was wheezing all the time, and had several bouts of pneumonia. I used my brother's [albuterol] inhaler, but it didn't help. Finally, my wife convinced me to see a physician. My doctor started me on a controller medication immediately. Today, my quality of life has turned around 100%. I hardly ever wheeze and it's really helped my endurance at work. These meds really work. I wish I had started using them sooner."
- Jack, 54
In this Issue:
NOTES: Health plan data in this report exist as a result of a partnership (called the Asthma Data Workgroup, or ADWG) among statewide stakeholders and many of Oregon?s health plans and systems. This unique collaboration paints a picture of asthma for nearly 600,000 commercial and Medicaid insured Oregonians, aged 4-55 years, during the measurement period of 9/1/2000 and 8/31/2001. Though these data do not represent all Oregonians, they are likely typical of Oregonians with health insurance who live in or near urban centers.
These data represent efforts of the ADWG to measure the pharmacology population-based indicator in The Guide to Improving Asthma Care in Oregon.a Due to the transient nature of health plan membership, the group chose to measure the indicator using the "fulltime equivalent" (FTE) concept. In other words, the numerator and denominator are measured in member months, or the sum of the months the members who met the criteria for inclusion were enrolled in the health plan during the 12-month period.
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