*  Quality Asthma care depends on self-management by you – the patient.

*  A large part of my role as your physician is teaching you these self-management skills.

*  The techniques you will use to assess your breathing are:

*  The Asthma Control Test – to track your symptoms.

*  Your Peak Expiratory Flow – to track your lung function.

*  We will “meet” regularly to discuss your self-assessments by phone rather than in-person.

*  These phone visits and your frequent use of the Asthmaniac website are designed to keep your asthma controlled.

*  Phone consults helps you avoid illness exposure and is more conveient than driving to sit in a waiting room!

Asthmaniac is based on the National standards for asthma care.

Those standards tell doctors to teach their patients how to assess their everyday symptoms and lung capacity.

Years of research has led to the creation of a solid symptom assessment tool (Asthma Control Test or ACT).   This is a survey that you can complete yourself and then report to me.

Research has also shown that lung performance, or how well you are able to breath out (Peak Expiratory Flow or PEF), can be measured using a simple, pocket-sized flow meter.

In my Asthmaniac clinic, I will ask you to use a simple flowmeter to record your number several times each week.

I will teach you how to use this number in conjunction with your Action Plan to best manage your symptoms.

I use ACT scores in planning updates to your medications, dosages, and your Action Plan.

The great thing about having these two proven methods of assessing your asthma is that we can conduct our entire asthma appointment on the phone!

Yes!

On the phone!

That means you can get your Asthmaniac appointment on a lunch break, walking down the street, or wherever you are.

One place you won’t be is sitting?

A doctor office waiting room – waiting to catch a virus!

Phone appointments: a key convenience of Asthmaniac!

Grab an appointment and we can get your asthma care optomized!

#asthmacontrolnow
#telemedicineasthmacare
#backpocketasthmadoc
#asthmaactionplan
#asthmacontroltest
#asthmacontroller
#rescueinhaler
#asthmacovid19
#childrenandasthma
#eprescription
#easthma
#peakexpiratoryflow
#peakflowmeter
#asthmaniac

High Deductible? Asthmaniac Is Best Value!

✓   You have a Health Insurance Policy (Lucky you!)

✘   But, it has a high deductible (ugh)

✓ Asthmaniac was made for you!

✓ Affordable doctor visits

✓   State-of-the-Art Asthma Care

✓   All online!

High-Deductible Health Insurance

Do you have a health insurance plan that offers less costly premiums but has a high deductible?

As you may have discovered, the deductible is the amount that you have to pay out-of-pocket before the policy kicks in.  This amount is usually many thousands of dollars, in some cases tens-of thousands for family policies!

This comes as quite a shock the first time you try to use your health insurance to pay for a doctor visit, a prescription, or worse, get admitted to the hospital where your bill quickly grows to tens of thousands of dollars, INSTANTLY! 

Ok, so like me, you have to pay out-of-pocket for the first several thousand dollars of medical services you need.

That means you will be shopping for the best value in medical products. 

Best value means: highest quality + lowest price.

In my three decades of practicing medicine, I’ve seen so many  patients with run-away, preventable disease whose illness got out of control because they did not got to a doctor earlier due to cost concerns.

That recurring theme motivated me to create a ‘clinic’ that IS affordable BUT delivers state-of-the-art asthma care for you.

Asthmaniac is that clinic, specially focused on delivering the medical stuff asthma sufferers need.

 Stuff like:

• prescribed inhaler refills and controller medicines;
• a personalised asthma action plan to guide them in responding to the symptoms;
• an affordable online/on-phone doctor to coach them to greater health; and
• a convenient, organised, accessible place to learn more about asthma.

I deliver this package through Asthmaniac which you can access on your smartphone, tablet or home computer.  

I keep my doctor visit price affordable!  

If you have  well controlled asthma, you need four doctors visits a year to make sure that you have all of your needed medicines prescribed, that your asthma hasn’t changed into a more severe type, and to make sure you know how to respond if your breathing gets worse.

A doctor in your back pocket, that you can afford, coaching you to greater confidence and less anxiety about your asthma, is a great value!

And if you have an HSA (Health Savings Account) with your high-deductible plan and need a receipt to reimburse yourself for your out-of-pocket Asthmaniac appointments –

I will make sure you have it!

That’s Asthmaniac!

Let’s get started!

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Remember our hashtag: #asthmacarenow!

And keep Breathing Easy!

#asthmacontrolnow
#telemedicineasthmacare
#backpocketasthmadoc
#asthmaactionplan
#asthmacontroltest
#asthmacontroller
#rescueinhaler
#asthmacovid19
#childrenandasthma
#eprescription
#easthma
#peakexpiratoryflow
#peakflowmeter
#asthmaniac

No Insurance is Not a Problem at Asthmaniac!

⇨ Got asthma?

⇨ No Insurance?

Asthmaniac was made for you!

Affordable doctor visits!

✓ State-of-the-Art Asthma Care.

 All online!

No Insurance = No Problem

Asthmaniac was designed to deliver asthma care to asthma sufferers that:

.. don’t have insurance

.. don’t have a doctor

.. have too much anxiety because this.

 I will be your asthma doctor.

I charge an affordable, fair price for:

.. having your doctor on your smartphone

.. making sure you have rescue inhalers

.. making sure you have state-of-the-art medicine for asthma control

.. making sure you KNOW how to manage your asthma day-to-day

.. making sure you have access to the latest medicine for asthma

.. making sure you have the best tools for self-management

If you have  well controlled asthma, you need four doctor visits a year to make sure that you have all of your needed medicines prescribed, that your asthma hasn’t changed into a more severe type, and to make sure you know how to respond if your breathing gets worse.

Asthmaniac puts your asthma doctor (ME!) in your back pocket, coaching you to greater confidence and less anxiety about your asthma.

Uninsured Asthma Care.

A core feature of Asthmaniac!

Remember our hashtag: #asthmacarenow And keep Breathing Easy!

#asthmacontrolnow
#telemedicineasthmacare
#backpocketasthmadoc
#asthmaactionplan
#asthmacontroltest
#asthmacontroller
#rescueinhaler
#asthmacovid19
#childrenandasthma
#eprescription
#easthma
#peakexpiratoryflow
#peakflowmeter
#asthmaniac

* e-Asthma is category of moderate and severe asthma

* Patients with e-Asthma have difficulty getting asthma control with inhalers

* e-Asthma responds well to a new type of injected medicine

* In such patients, this new medicine can decrease their asthma attacks and allow them to use less oral steroid.

     e-Asthma is a type of severe asthma that responds well to a new kind of control medicine that you inject under skin, usually monthly.

     Severe Asthma means:

1. You’ve been on a high dose of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and a long-acting bronchodilator or theophylline for the past year; and/or
2. You’ve been treated with steroids (like Prednisone) by mouth for more than half of the past year.

Wondering what “high dose” ICS means?

There is a new type of injectable asthma medicine has been shown to dramatically:

1. Reduce the number of asthma attacks you will have

2. Reduce how much oral steroid (like Prednisone) and ICS you need to stay in control.

You would be likely to get a good response to this new medicine if:

1. Your eosinophils are elevated in your bloodstream, and
2. Your allergy testing shows that you are triggered by seasonal allergens.

So, let’s review:

If 

You have been on high dose ICS (see above) or oral steroid for more than half of the year,

AND

You have skin allergy tests that show a problem

THEN

I would recommend having your blood drawn to measure your eosinophil count.

If your eosinophil count is elevated (35-700 IU/mL), you would be a good candidate to try this new type of medicine.

What medications would be considered?

Here is a list of subcutaneous medications that can be ordered for e-Asthma:

Omallzumab (Xolair) injected every 2 or 4 weeks depending on your eosinophil count and age

Dupilumab (Dupixent) injected every 2 weeks

Mepolizumab (Nucala) injected every 4 weeks

Benralizumab (Fasenra) injected every 4 weeks for 3 doses, then every 8 weeks.

Tezepelumab (Tezspire) injected every 4 weeks.  This medicine does not require any history of elevated eosinophils or prior testing for allergic asthma.

These medications are quite new and it will take some time for general practitioners to become educated about prescribing them.

But, on Asthmaniac.com they are available RIGHT NOW and if you are suffering from moderate or severe asthma, they could be a really good solution for getting your severe asthma under control.

Asthmaniac IS your online asthma doctor for prescriptions, consultations, education and followup.  Book Today!

#asthmacontrolnow
#telemedicineasthmacare
#backpocketasthmadoc
#asthmaactionplan
#asthmacontroltest
#asthmacontroller
#rescueinhaler
#asthmacovid19
#childrenandasthma
#eprescription
#easthma
#peakexpiratoryflow
#peakflowmeter
#asthmaniac

* Finding your inhaler empty when the tightness starts IS NOT A GOOD FEELING!

..You need your rescue inhaler

..When you need it!

..Without it, it is probably a trip to the ER and

..a few days of having messed up breathing.

* Asthmaniac delivers quick doctor visits for inhaler refills and

*sends all orders for prescription medication to the pharmacy of your choice.

Asthma is one disease that cannot be controlled without medication.

When your wheezing kicks in, you need a rescue inhaler NOW!

And to keep your wheezing suppressed, you need a controller medication.

Since these medications are so important to keeping you breathing well, I have designed a online ‘clinic’ that makes it possible for you to never run out!

Running out is usually from:

… The discouraging cost of the medicine

…  The discouraging inconvenience of finding a doctor appointment to get the medicine ordered

… The discouraging cost of the doctor appointment.

Well, I have good news!

1. Albuterol (your usual rescue inhaler) is now generic, and priced as low as $20/inhaler in some pharmacies!
2. You have already ‘found’ the doctor that will take care of you (that’s me!).
3. You can ‘see’ me online (on your phone) to get your refill ordered NOW!

I send your prescriptions electronically to your preferred pharmacy.

That doesn’t matter where you are or where I am.

All electronic.

No paper prescription to lose,

Even better: now that Amazon is in the pharmacy game, there’s a pretty good chance you can get more affordable inhalers delivered right to your door!

Ok, to be sure, getting your asthma under control is not ONLY about getting your inhalers.

But making sure you have your rescue medicine is my First priority.

Affordable

Convenient

Inhaler Refills.

A CORE philosophy of Asthmaniac!

Remember our hashtag: asthmacarenow! And keep Breathing Easy!

#asthmacontrolnow
#telemedicineasthmacare
#backpocketasthmadoc
#asthmaactionplan
#asthmacontroltest
#asthmacontroller
#rescueinhaler
#asthmacovid19
#childrenandasthma
#eprescription
#easthma
#peakexpiratoryflow
#peakflowmeter
#asthmaniac

* SMART means:

..simple ..control & ..rescue!

SMART therapy stands for Single Maintenance and Reliever Therapy.   At Asthmaniac, we the words “maintenance” and “controller” mean the same thing.  Likewise, “reliever” and “rescue” are interchangeable.

SMART therapy is for patients with moderate to severe asthma who need a combination treatment. This combined treatment consists of an inhaled corticosteroid (controller ) and an inhaled long-acting beta-2 agonist (LABA) (bronchodilator). The SMART therapy program simplifies things by having patients to use one inhaler for both! The maintenance dose can be adjusted based on the needs of the individual, but it is typically at least two doses a day (either two at once or one dose twice a day).

What medicines are in SMART therapy?

SMART therapy is a combination of an inhaled corticosteroid and an inhaled LABA. Currently, this combination is available in two medications:

• budesonide/formoterol (Symbicort®)
• mometasone/formoterol (Dulera®)

In asthma guidelines for SMART therapy, the budesonide/formoterol combination is the recommended first treatment for moderate to severe asthma.

How does SMART therapy work?

SMART therapy allows people with asthma to use just one medication to control asthma symptoms. They use this single medication for both control and rescue therapy.

Typical rescue inhalers contain only a bronchodilator. Controller medications often include an anti-inflammatory inhaled corticosteroid. But with SMART therapy, the inhaler has both an anti-inflammatory inhaled corticosteroid and a LABA. This is helpful as it means people are getting daily medicine to keep their airways open. And when they are experiencing symptoms, they are getting extra anti-inflammatories. This helps to reduce airway inflammation.

Who can receive SMART therapy?

Under asthma guidelines, SMART therapy is recommended for people with moderate to severe asthma, including children ages 5 and older. In general, SMART therapy is considered an easier treatment plan to follow. A SMART therapy plan can also be used as an as-needed treatment for mild asthma. Formoterol is a long-acting inhaled medication but it works quickly, similar to quick-relief albuterol. .

What is moderate to severe persistent asthma?

People with moderate asthma have daily symptoms or wake up at night due to symptoms at least once a week.

People with severe asthma have symptoms throughout the day despite following their treatment plan. They also report waking up at night with symptoms, even after taking treatment. Learn more about understanding asthma severity.

How will I know if SMART therapy is right for me or my child?

To determine if SMART therapy is right for you or your child, consider Shared Decision-Making. In Shared Decision-Making, you and I decide the right treatment approach fo you. The best is based on your asthma control, lifestyle and other healthcare needs and preferences. Then you and I work together to develop an Asthma Action Plan so you know what to do for treatment when symptoms occur.

Ready for a SMART plan?

#asthmacontrolnow
#telemedicineasthmacare
#backpocketasthmadoc
#asthmaactionplan
#asthmacontroltest
#asthmacontroller
#rescueinhaler
#asthmacovid19
#childrenandasthma
#eprescription
#easthma
#peakexpiratoryflow
#peakflowmeter
#asthmaniac