Medication Management for People with Asthma: Assesses adults and children 5-64 years of age who were identified as having persistent asthma and were dispensed appropriate asthma-controlled medications that they remained on for at least 75% of their treatment period.
Asthma Medication Ratio: Assesses adults and children 5–64 years of age who were identified as having persistent asthma and had a ratio of controller medications to total asthma medications of 0.50 or greater during the measurement year.
Why It Matters
Asthma is a treatable, reversible condition that affects more than 25 million people in the United States. Managing this condition with appropriate medications could save the U.S. billions of dollars in medical costs.1 The prevalence and cost of asthma have increased over the past decade, demonstrating the need for better access to care and medication. Appropriate medication management for patients with asthma could reduce the need for rescue medication—as well as the costs associated with ER visits, inpatient admissions and missed days of work or school.
Results
Medication Compliance Rate 75% (Overall)
| Measure Year | Commercial HMO | Commercial PPO | Medicaid HMO |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 53.4 | 56.7 | 39.1 |
| 2018 | 51.8 | 53.7 | 37.8 |
| 2017 | 50.3 | 52.6 | 36.9 |
| 2016 | 48.5 | 49.5 | 34.9 |
| 2015 | 46.2 | 48.5 | 32.8 |
| 2014 | 44.6 | 45.6 | 30.5 |
| 2013 | 46.1 | 49.7 | 31.3 |
| 2012 | 41.8 | 43.5 | 28.9 |
Asthma Medication Rate (Overall)
| Measure Year | Commercial HMO | Commercial PPO | Medicaid HMO |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 78.5 | 78.9 | 63.0 |
| 2018 | 79.8 | 80.4 | 63 |
| 2017 | 78.6 | 79.5 | 61.4 |
| 2016 | 78.7 | 78.8 | 62.7 |
| 2015 | 77.5 | 78.1 | 59.1 |
| 2014 | 75.4 | 76.6 | 57.7 |
| 2013 | 78.9 | 79.9 | 65.9 |
This State of Healthcare Quality Report classifies health plans differently than NCQA’s Quality Compass. HMO corresponds to All LOBs (excluding PPO and EPO) within Quality Compass. PPO corresponds to PPO and EPO within Quality Compass.
Figures do not account for changes in the underlying measure that could break trending. Contact Information Products via my.ncqa.org for analysis that accounts for trend breaks.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 2011. “CDC Vital Signs: Asthma in the US.” http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/pdf/2011-05-vitalsigns.pdf