Who Qualifies for Chronic Care Management for Asthma?

Nearly 28 million people in the United States — or 1 in 12 Americans — have asthma, a chronic lung condition characterized by periodic (and often predictable) symptom flares which typically involve:

• Wheezing and coughing
• Trouble taking a full breath
• Chest tightness and pain

For anyone with asthma, proactive, ongoing disease control is essential. However, in some cases, next-level chronic care management is required. Here, our expert team at Fivestar Pulmonary Associates takes a closer look at when asthma calls for increased care. 

Asthma requires continued care 

An asthma attack occurs when an environmental allergen, cold air, a viral infection, stress, or something else triggers airway inflammation and swelling, making breathing difficult. 

Asthma action plan

For most people, maintaining asthma control can be as simple as identifying and avoiding (or managing) symptom triggers and adhering to an asthma action plan. This plan is written with your pulmonologist or primary care doctor and tells you:

• When to take your long-term control medication 
• When to take your quick-relief medication (inhaler)
• How to recognize when your asthma is worsening
• What to do when you’re in an asthma emergency

When your asthma action plan is working well, your asthma remains well-controlled. 

Asthma control benefits

Asthma is a lifelong condition, so it’s important to have regular check-ins with your care provider to monitor symptoms, assess medication effectiveness, and address any new concerns. For mild asthma, an annual or twice-yearly check-up may be all that’s needed. 

This foundational approach to asthma typically leads to increased asthma control, reduced symptom severity, decreased asthma exacerbations, fewer hospital admissions, improved patient knowledge, and better self-management skills. 

When asthma needs next-level care

Sometimes, asthma becomes severe or hard to treat, meaning your symptoms aren’t well controlled even with high-dose medications. Frequent exacerbations may occur — even to the point that the condition significantly impacts your daily life and requires ongoing monitoring and treatment plan adjustment. 

These are signs your asthma needs chronic care management. Let’s take a closer look: 

Uncontrolled asthma

Uncontrolled asthma is defined as having daytime asthma symptoms and using quick-relief medication more than twice a week, waking up at night with asthma symptoms more than twice a month, and having to limit your activities because of asthma. 

Difficult-to-treat asthma

Asthma is described as difficult to treat when it remains uncontrolled despite using high-dose controller medicines. Managing a co-occurring chronic health condition — like sleep apnea, allergies, sinusitis, obesity, COPD, or acid reflux — can make asthma harder to treat, as can incorrect and/or inconsistent asthma medication use. 

Severe asthma 

Asthma is considered severe if it frequently remains uncontrolled despite using the highest dose of inhaled corticosteroids, plus a second controller and/or oral corticosteroids — and despite reducing asthma risks and following a prescribed treatment plan. The three forms of severe asthma are allergic asthma, eosinophilic asthma, and non-eosinophilic asthma.

Chronic care management for asthma 

Whether you experience frequent asthma attacks, you need high-dose asthma meds, you’re inconsistent with your asthma regimen, you’re managing other chronic conditions, asthma limits your life, or all the above, next-level care is for you. 

Chronic care management for asthma involves: 

• Frequent check-ins with our team 
• Routine symptom monitoring 
• Medication adjustment, as needed
• Regular lung function monitoring 
• Asthma action plan adjustment

We also provide detailed and ongoing patient education on key topics like asthma triggers, helpful preventive strategies (i.e., vaccination against respiratory illness), self-management techniques, and correct inhaler use. If your asthma control is affected by another chronic illness, we may provide coordinated care with other specialists. 

Are you ready to breathe easy again? We’re here to help. Take our online asthma control test today and then contact us to schedule an in-person evaluation at your nearest Fivestar Pulmonary Associates office in Allen, McKinney, or Plano, Texas.