Asthma Outliers

Today at St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic we’re holding our first Asthma Outliers Day. Now, what’s an outlier? An “outlier” is a patient in our chronic disease management program who has not been in for important medical visits such as medication adjustments, mental health counseling, or asthma education in over 6 months.

In an effort to help patients who might find it difficult to schedule an appointment we call these patients for Outliers Days where all clinic staff focuses on managing patients with one type of chronic disease for an entire afternoon. This way, patients see clinicians to get caught up on all dimensions of their health care needs all in one afternoon. For some of our diabetic and asthmatic patients this is more effective than attending a variety of appointments over time as they’re already overbooked trying to maintain living, food, and transportation needs.

Our chronic care program is tailored to the needs of our low income patients. We’ve seen improvement in our diabetic patients who have attended our Diabetes Outliers Days over the past year in lowering blood sugar levels. Through the care and guidance of clinic staff, patients gain a sense of ownership and empowerment in managing their own health. These events take place once a quarter and will continue as we continue to combat chronic disease in the Tenderloin.