National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Task Force on the Cost Effectiveness, Quality of Care, and Financing of Asthma Care.

摘要

In 1988, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health recognized that data from the United States as well as from around the world showed increasing asthma prevalence, morbidity, and mortality despite the availability of effective treatment. The National Asthma Education Program (now known as the National Asthma Education and Prevention ProgramNAEPP) was created in response to this public health concern. The NAEPPs overall goals are to decrease asthma morbidity and mortality and to optimize the quality of life for persons with asthma. One of the programs first major efforts was to develop and disseminate the Expert Panel Report: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma. The expert panel report, which provides clinicians with recommendations for optimal treatment of asthma, has been distributed to more than 300,000 health professionals. It is widely referenced and listed in most medical databases. The NAEPP has broadened its focus beyond clinical and biomedical asthma management to the economics of asthma management. A clinicians ability to provide asthma care in accordance with guideline recommendations is largely influenced by the financial and organizational structures affecting both patient and provider. Thus if efforts to improve asthma care are to be successful, they must be placed in the context of comprehensive programs that reflect the complexities of the U.S. health care system.