For children hospitalized with asthma, compliance with the asthma core measures and post-discharge follow-up appointment with primary care providers was associated with reduced readmission rates, according to a study published in Pediatrics.
The quality improvement study took place at the Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children in Honolulu. The study evaluated compliance with all three Children's Asthma Care core measures, developed by an advisory panel convened by The Joint Commission. A multidisciplinary asthma task force was assembled at the hospital to develop interventions to ensure compliance. Attendance at the follow-up appointment with patient-centered medical homes was tracked monthly.
Compliance with the core measures was 95 percent during the study period — January 2008 to June 2012. After the implementation of the interventions, readmission rates significantly decreased at 91 days to 180 days post-discharge.
The study authors attributed their results to a comprehensive set of interventions designed by our multidisciplinary asthma task force.
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