Abstract
Few studies have examined the clinical and utilization impact of asthma disease management programs for Medicaid beneficiaries. This study examines utilization and clinical outcomes for an adult group of low- to moderate-risk patients with asthma. Propensity scores are used to construct matched samples of treated-control pairs in order to establish equivalent comparison groups and evaluate the effects of program participation. During the program period, the participants experienced 33.3% fewer hospitalizations, 42% fewer bed days, 87% fewer asthma-related admissions, fewer ED visits, and higher rates of medication usage than those for matched controls, suggesting the beneficial impact of participation for Medicaid program participants.