New program set to intervene to prevent readmissions, repeat ED visits due to acute exacerbations of asthma.

Faculty at Indiana University School of Medicine are set to launch a community paramedicine program aimed at preventing repeat hospital and ED visits for acute exacerbations of asthma in children. Under the program, all children who are treated in the hospital or ED for asthma will receive home visits by specially trained paramedics within a few days of discharge. Paramedics will conduct a comprehensive assessment and make referrals as necessary for followup care. Nearly 30% of children who have been hospitalized for asthma require readmission to the hospital not long after discharge, and as many as 25% of children who have been treated in the ED for asthma will return to the ED within 30 days for another asthma-related visit. The one-time home visits will be comprehensive, enabling EMS providers to initiate stop-gap measures so that if a child is starting to get sick, paramedics can make sure the appropriate medicines are started and that acute care needs are met. Developers will monitor 30-day, 90-day, and one-year readmission metrics among patients who have received home visits.They hope that resulting cost-savings will sustain the program beyond the initial period, which is being funded through a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services.