Asthmania Academy earns national certification
November 17, 2010
ANDERSON, SC – November 17, 2010 – AnMed Health’s Asthmania Academy is one of the first programs of its kind to receive ASME certification from the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC).
The Asthma Self-Management Education (ASME) Program was implemented by the American Association for Respiratory Care to recognize and certify asthma education programs that adhere to high standards of quality.
Asthmania Academy is the second program in the nation and the only one in the Southeast to receive this certification. The AH! Asthma Health Program in Portland, Maine assisted the AARC during beta testing and was the first to be designated as a certified program.
“This certification sets the bar for asthma care,” said Mike Shoemaker, site coordinator for Asthmania Academy. “Asthma is different for every person; it’s not a one-size-fits-all disease. At Asthmania Academy, we offer diagnostic testing and asthma education that is focused on the individual. If asthma is interfering with your ability to live life to the fullest, we want to help. ”
Dr. Allison Ranck, the program’s medical director, said, “We work closely with local physicians in helping them manage their patients with asthma. Any time we see a child at Asthmania Academy, we send a detailed report to the child’s primary care doctor with the results of any diagnostic studies as well as treatment recommendations based on the most recent nationally-recognized asthma guidelines.”
Asthmania Academy opened in January 2009 and provides asthma education to children 18 and younger. A specialized staff of certified asthma educators, pediatric hospitalists and certified pulmonary function technologists assess asthma control, perform diagnostic studies and provide recommendations to help patients manage their condition. Asthmania Academy receives referrals from the hospital and local physicians.
Since Asthmania Academy started, pediatric visits to the Emergency Department have declined, and benchmarking data indicates a downward trend in the hospitalization rate for pediatric asthma compared to all admissions.
ASME Certification is awarded for a three-year period, and is an important quality indicator for patients, referring health care providers and third party payers. Certification standards were developed by an experienced multi-disciplinary team of respiratory therapists, physicians, nurses and pharmacists based on evidence-based medicine. Certified programs have shown that they have:
• Program leadership and instructional staff with documented competency in providing patient education,
• Sufficient resources to support the personnel and operations,
• Identified their target population of asthma patients, their specific needs, and outcomes achieved by the program participants,
• Continuously monitored, evaluated and adjusted the various components of the program, based on the results of their continuous quality improvement program.
Learn more about ASME certification at www.aarc.org/asme. To learn more about Asthmania Academy, go to www.anmedhealth.org/asthmaniaacademy.
