• The annual reported rate captures activity during the previous calendar year.  For example, the 2017 rate captures services provided during calendar year 2016.
• This is a Healthcare Effectiveness & Data Information Set (HEDIS) administrative measure.
• Based on the advice of their External Quality Review Organization (EQRO), DVHA’s rates only include only Medicaid Primary beneficiaries in HEDIS administrative measures as of 2014.
• The target trend line is the 50th percentile national benchmark for Medicaid programs (there is no  benchmark available for 2012).  DVHA will align with the All Payer Model (APM) benchmarks (currently under development) of the 25th percentile of health care plans nationally - the average of all payers when they become available. 

This measure looks at the percentage of Medicaid members 5-64 years of age during the measurement year who were identified as having persistent asthma and were dispensed appropriate medications that they remained on during the treatment period.

Two rates are reported:
1. the percentage of members who remained on an asthma controller medication for at least 50% of their treatment period and
2. the percentage of members who remained on an asthma controller medication for at least 75% of the treatment period.

Appropriate medication adherence could ameliorate the severity of many asthma-related symptoms.  According to the Asthma Regional Council, two-thirds of children and adults who display asthma symptoms are considered "not well controlled" or "very poorly controlled" as defined by clinical practice guidelines.

This measure can be broken out into many different age groups, but the rate reported here is the total of all age groups combined.

Last updated:  August 2017

Author:  DVHA Quality Unit