Asthma Management: Referral Directory
Key Contacts
- Grecia Gallegos, PAR
- Shareka Bankston, PAR
- Sharon Lemley, RNC, BSN, AE-C - Care Coordinator
- Anne Crowther MPH, CHES - Program Manager
Description of Services
A comprehensive six-month program focused on asthma education, self-management skills and care coordination.
Information for referral sources:
Age: Children 0-17 years of age at the time of enrollment.
- Geographic: Seven counties - Dallas, Tarrant, Ellis, Collin, Kaufman, Rockwall and Denton.
- Insurance: Participant is a member of a contracted payor source or is willing to pay the full cost of the program at the time of enrollment. Authorization from the insurance plan will be obtained by the Asthma Management Program staff.
- Physician: An order from the child’s primary care physician is required with a diagnosis of asthma. It is not required that referring physicians be affiliated with Children’s. Our program is designed to be an additional resource for any physician who treats children with asthma.
To refer a child to this program, please complete the order form and fax it to 214-456-2553.
This program includes:
- Two home health visits to provide in-home asthma education and an environmental assessment
- A multidisciplinary Asthma Education Class
- Biweekly telephone contact by the program care coordinator
- Resource for community physicians
Procedures performed or problems diagnosed and treated:
- Asthma education and training
Why Children's Medical Center?
- The Children’s Asthma Management Program was the first in Texas, third in the nation, to receive certification by The Joint Commission for disease-specific care for pediatric asthma initiatives.
- The Joint Commission Disease-Specific Care certification evaluates the disease management and chronic care services provided by a facility. The voluntary evaluation and certification are based on:
- Compliance with consensus-based national standards.
- Effective use of established clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care.
- Performance measurement activities.
- Asthma is among the top three admitting diagnoses at Children’s. This is an innovative program linking in-home education, environmental assessment, family self-management skills and primary care physician involvement to deal with the complexities of treating patients with asthma.
- Results of the six-month program indicate:
- Emergency room visits for asthma declined 77 percent from pre-enrollment levels.
- Asthma-related inpatient admissions declined 88 percent.
- Quality of life of scores of program participants increased 29 percent.
- Missed school days due to asthma were reduced 71 percent.
- Number of missed workdays by parents to care for their child due to asthma declined 74 percent.
