Increased identification of the primary care provider as the main source of asthma care among urban minority children

AbstractObjective: Urban, minority, and disadvantaged youth with asthma frequently use emergency departments (EDs) for episodic asthma care instead of their primary care providers (PCPs). We sought to increase the rate of guardians' identification of the PCP as the source of asthma care for their children through integrated electronic health records and care coordination. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, we implemented an electronic communication process between an asthma specialty clinic and PCPs coupled with short-term care coordination in sample of youth aged 2–12 years with asthma and surveyed their guardians at baseline and 3 and 6 months after the intervention. Results: Guardians of 50 children (median age 5.8 years, 64% male, 98% African American, 94% public insurance) were enrolled. Compared to baseline, at 3 and 6 months after the intervention, significantly more guardians reported that the PCP was their child's primary asthma health care provider [70% at baseline, 85% at 3 months, 83% ...