AI Summary
Summary: Le Bonheur's risk-based innovation program, CHAMP, has successfully reduced healthcare use related to asthma by targeting barriers to asthma care. The program resulted in significant reductions in emergency department visits, inpatient and observation visits, urgent care visits, and asthma exacerbations among enrolled children. By taking the program outside of the clinic and engaging with children in their living, playing, and school environments, the program has been successful in improving asthma care. The study analyzed data from children who had completed one full year of the program and found positive outcomes. The CHAMP program aims to improve asthma care and reduce the risk of exacerbation for patients with high-risk asthma.
Le Bonheur’s risk-based innovation program Changing High-Risk Asthma in Memphis through Partnership (CHAMP) significantly decreased health care use related to asthma by targeting barriers to asthma care, according to research published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. After one year of enrollment in the program, results analyzing 945 children included a 48% reduction in Emergency Department (ED) visits, 68% reduction in inpatient and observation visits, 42% reduction in urgent care visits and 53% reduction in asthma exacerbations. Asthma exacerbations per patient significantly decreased from 2.97 to 1.4.
Children in Shelby County, which includes the Memphis metro area, have disproportionally high asthma-related health care resource use compared with other regions in Tennessee. Our results show that taking down the walls of the clinic and going to where kids live, play and go to school has been a success.”
Christie Michael, MD, the allergist/immunologist and medical director for the CHAMP program
The study analyzed data for children who had completed one full year of the program between January 2013 and Dec. 31, 2022. Of 1,348 children enrolled, 945 completed a full year of the program. The demographics of the participants were 63% male and 90% black with a mean age of 6.8 years.
The CHAMP program was developed with a goal of improving asthma care and reducing risk of exacerbation for patients with high-risk asthma, who have significantly increased morbidity and mortality and, consequently, higher use and cost of health care. High-risk asthma can be defined in