Why is it important to get the right types and amounts of asthma medicines?

Asthma is a lifelong disease that causes wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing. Asthma attacks can be painful, frightening and dangerous. To prevent these attacks, your doctor should make sure that you get the right combination of medicines for your asthma and that you know when and how to use them properly.

How should doctors treat asthma?

If you have asthma, you and your doctor should develop an asthma action plan that includes a combination of prescription medicines. Your doctor will prescribe medicines—called anti-inflammatories or controller drugs— that help reduce swelling in your lungs that may lead to asthma attacks. You should also be prescribed reliever drugs to use when you are having an asthma attack. Relievers help reduce wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath. The doctor should also help you learn how to avoid triggers that can bring on an asthma attack such as tobacco smoke, mold, pet dander, and outdoor air pollution.

Talk with your doctor and health plan to find out about what other services are available. Many medical groups offer additional support and resources for patients with asthma. These additional services may be educational materials (online and in print), classes or support groups, or phone counseling.

What do the stars mean?

The scores show how well each medical group did at making sure patients, ages 5 through 64 who experienced frequent asthma symptoms, got the right combination of medicines — called controllers and relievers — for their asthma and knew when and how to use them properly. The higher score means more patients got the right care at the right time.

The scores are based on information from at least 30 medical group patient records in 2023.