National Jewish to Pilot Disease Management for Department of Defense

National Jewish Medical and Research Center
Tuesday, 21 January 2003

A pilot study of disease management for pediatric asthma is being launched at three military bases in Oklahoma and Texas by the Department of Defense, in cooperation with National Jewish Medical and Research Center.

The study will evaluate if a comprehensive disease management initiative can improve the health and quality of life for pediatric asthma patients at Ft. Sill, Tinker Air Force Base and Sheppard Air Force Base. If successful, the program may provide a model for the Defense Department to consider adopting at other military bases.

Currently, military health officials utilize the Department of Defense/Department of Veterans Affairs Guidelines for Asthma Care to develop protocols for chronic disease management in pediatric asthma patients.

"We are seeking to improve the health of our military families while reducing the burden of asthma care on the Military Health Service," said Dr James Quinn, Lt. Col., U.S. Air Force. "Call-based disease management programs have been used successfully in private industry, we would like to know if these programs will be successful when added to the Military Health System."

In the past 10 years, the Military Health Service (MHS) has experienced the same cost, organizational, and personnel constraints as those found in the civilian sector. As a result, it is seeking ways to deliver medical care more effectively and efficiently.

Pediatric asthma offers an excellent test case. Asthma is the number one reason for childhood hospitalizations in the MHS. Most of the hospitalizations and other exacerbations of the disease could be averted if patients and their healthcare providers managed the disease according to established national guidelines.

National Jewish's disease management program will rely primarily on written materials and proactive phone calls to help asthma patients 7 to 16 years of age and their families to better understand and manage their asthma. Registered nurses will evaluate the severity of patients' asthma, their knowledge of the disease and their ability to manage an asthma episode Then they will help patients and their families, along with their Military Primary Care Physicians, to develop detailed plans to manage their disease and encourage good self-monitoring techniques.

In addition, a 24/7 call center is available for incoming calls from patients who have questions or problems concerning their asthma. This initiative includes National Jewish JustQuitä interactive smoking cessation program for parents and/or caregivers of asthmatic children.

"We are thrilled that National Jewish has been selected to provide the disease management services to assist the Military Health Service in evaluating the feasibility of using an outside contractor to deliver disease management services for the military," said David Tinkelman, M.D., Vice President of Health Initiatives at National Jewish.

The current project is in the initial implementation stages. The study period will last one year. The program's goal is to enroll approximately 300 asthmatic children in the disease management group and a similar number in a control group of patients who will receive standard care from military health personnel only.

The disease management initiative will be evaluated by measuring caregiver quality of life, use of rescue medications, emergency room visits, hospitalizations and lung function. The study is designed to produce data worthy of publication in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick Maryland, is the awarding and administering office for this research grant (PR012252). The information above does not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of the Government, and no official endorsement should be inferred.

For more information, or to contact National Jewish Medical and Research Center, see their website at: www.njc.org