1. Have the child sit and rest
2. Help the child stay calm
3. Get help
Available in English and Spanish!
AHIP and EPA began a three year cooperative agreement in October 2014. As part of this collaboration, the organizations will identify and disseminate promising health plan interventions that help prevent asthma episodes and promote asthma management among culturally diverse populations. This webinar series helps in disseminating health plan efforts to incorporate environmental interventions into comprehensive asthma care programs.
Watch this webinar to learn more about EPA and AHIP's mission to bridge the disparities gap through their role in connecting providers and communities to deliver sustainable in-home asthma care services.
View here: http://media.beaconlive.com/viewitem?resc=12636
Introduction
The prevalence of childhood asthma in the United States increased from 8.7% in 2001 to 9.5% in 2011. This increased prevalence adds to the costs incurred by state Medicaid programs. We provide state-based cost estimates of pediatric asthma emergency department (ED) visits and highlight an opportunity for states to reduce these costs through a recently changed Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regulation.
Methods
We used a cross-sectional design across multiple data sets to produce state-based cost estimates for asthma-related ED visits among children younger than 18, where Medicaid/CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) was the primary payer.
Results
There were approximately 629,000 ED visits for pediatric asthma for Medicaid/CHIP enrollees, which cost $272 million in 2010. The average cost per visit was $433. Costs ranged from $282,000 in Alaska to more than $25 million in California.
Conclusions
Costs to states for pediatric asthma ED visits vary widely. Effective January 1, 2014, the CMS rule expanded which type of providers can be reimbursed for providing preventive services to Medicaid/CHIP beneficiaries. This rule change, in combination with existing flexibility for states to define practice setting, allows state Medicaid programs to reimburse for asthma interventions that use nontraditional providers (such as community health workers or certified asthma educators) in a nonclinical setting, as long as the service was initially recommended by a physician or other licensed practitioner. The rule change may help states reduce Medicaid costs of asthma treatment and the severity of pediatric asthma.
