Innovative Idea

Virtual Home Visits to Reduce Childhood Asthma

Dr. Ankoor Shah
Children’s National Health Systems
Washington, D.C.

Each year in the United States, nearly half (44%) of all asthma hospitalizations are for children, and asthma is the leading cause for missed school days. In response to health risks that are worsened by toxins in homes – and the hesitation of many patients to allow health professionals to enter their homes – this project will create a program that enables residents and their medical providers to use smartphones to conduct virtual home visits. Through these visits, medical professionals will be able to assess conditions in the home that could trigger asthma-related illnesses and connect residents via their smartphones to pediatric asthma specialists, health educators, and housing remediation experts, who can provide resources to create a healthier home. This project will also explore reimbursement models through Managed Care Organizations to pay for virtual visits and home repair/remediation activities.

Dr. Ankoor Shah
Ankoor Y. Shah, M.D., M.B.A, M.P.H, is a board-certified pediatrician and medical director for Improving Pediatric Asthma Care in the District of Columbia (IMPACT DC). IMPACT DC is a pediatric asthma program that treats underserved children with poorly-controlled asthma through education and clinical management and addresses social and environmental determinants of asthma. Dr. Shah is also an assistant professor of pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. His clinical work is primarily based at the Children’s Health Center at Town Hall Arts and Recreation Center in Southeast D.C. As a community-based, patient-centered medical home, the clinic aims to provide wrap-around services for at-risk families including social work, WIC services, mental health, dental health, and mobile services.

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Children’s National Health Systems

With a healthcare experience designed around kids’ unique needs, Children’s National Health Systems is the premier – and only – provider of pediatric services in the Washington, D.C., specializing in kids.

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Virtual Home Visits to Reduce Childhood Asthma