Pharmacy & Therapeutics - February 2009 - (Page 84)

Asthma Utilization Rx Analyzer (AURA) Tool Table 4 Example of Emergency Department (ED) Medical Resource Utilization Output* Plan† Persistent No. (%) Non-Persistent No. (%) Persistent No. (%) Reference‡ Non-Persistent No. (%) Adult Population Members with asthma Asthma members with asthma-related ED visit Total number of asthma-related ED visits Prescription claims 30 days prior to event Controller medications Adrenergic bronchodilators Formoterol Isoetharine Levalbuterol Metaproterenol Pirbuterol Salmeterol Anticholinergic bronchodilators Bronchodilator combinations Inhaled corticosteroids Leukotriene receptor antagonists Mast cell stabilizers Monoclonal antibodies Xanthines Rescue medications 2,987 124 (4%) 159 (100%) 259 (47%) 68 (26%) 8 (12%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 3 (38%) 0 (0%) 3 (38%) 2 (25%) 6 (9%) 21 (31%) 19 (28%) 14 (21%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 191 (74%) 12,809 117 (1%) 131 (100%) 146 (77%) 41 (28%) 5 (12%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 3 (60%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (40%) 6 (15%) 10 (24%) 14 (34%) 5 (12%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1 (2%) 105 (73%) 67,194 6,171 (9%) 8,714 (100%) 10,868 (42%) 4,309 (40%) 393 (9%) 52 (13%) 0 (0%) 108 (27%) 28 (7%) 56 (14%) 149 (38%) 290 (7%) 1,290 (30%) 614 (14%) 1,336 (31%) 31 (1%) 36 (1%) 319 (7%) 6,650 (60%) 250,528 5,043 (2%) 5,731 (100%) 3,600 (68%) 766 (21%) 64 (8%) 11 (17%) 0 (0%) 21 (33%) 1 (2%) 16 (25%) 15 (23%) 71 (9%) 263 (34%) 177 (23%) 169 (22%) 4 (1%) 0 (0%) 18 (2%) 2,824 (79%) • The percentages above may not sum to 100% due to rounding of whole numbers. • The data presented within this table are aggregate data. • The sum total of the number of medications prior to an event (Controller + Rescue) may or may not be equivalent to the total number of members with medication prior to an event, as patients may have a claim for more than 1 (one) medication prior to a subsequent event. * Patients are defined as having persistent or non-persistent asthma based upon HEDIS 2007, Vol 2. National Committee for Quality Assurance.7 † Plan = Plan-specific data uploaded by the managed care organization. ‡ Reference = PharMetrics data preloaded with the AURA tool. • determining patterns of resource utilization through customizable metrics to gain an understanding of factors that affect asthma care for patients, prescribers, and health plans. • displaying plan-specific results compared with national or internal benchmarks to help monitor and guide qualityimprovement initiatives. • helping to identify cost drivers of care from a payer’s perspective. • guiding health plans in quality-improvement initiatives to optimize the use of asthma medications. HOW HEALTH PLANS CAN USE AURA TECHNOLOGY For health plans, AURA provides a comprehensive approach to measuring and optimizing asthma management. With the ability to use national and plan-specific references, patterns of usage can be tracked chronologically to allow for easier monitoring of quality performance metrics at the plan, provider, and patient levels. Tracking medical and pharmacy costs through AURA also enables technicians to target high users of resources, to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, and to measure the impact of decisions concerning coverage of formulary drugs. AURA also provides users with customizable 84 P&T® • February 2009 • Vol. 34 No. 2

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Pharmacy & Therapeutics - February 2009

Pharmacy & Therapeutics - February 2009 Contents Editorial Medication Errors Prescription: Washington New Drugs/Drug News/New Medical Devices Drug Forecast Pushing an Expanded Role for Pharmacists Better Asthma Management with Advanced Technology Pharmaceutical Approval Update 58th Annual Meeting, American Society of Human Genetics, 2008 American Society of Hematology, 50th Annual Meeting and Exposition 2008 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Stahl’s Essential Psychopharmacology, 3rd Edition Author Guidelines

Pharmacy & Therapeutics - February 2009

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