Spring is here and with a turn of the calendar, warmer temperatures, and outdoor activities, comes the symptoms of sneezing, sniffling, stuffy nose, watery eyes, and coughing. These symptoms make up just a few of the laundry list of potential symptoms in patients with allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis affects over 40 million people in the United States and the Spring season is one of the worst times of the year for millions of people with allergies. Diagnosis and treatment for allergic rhinitis and other springtime ailments can be enhanced through the use of health analytics.
Allergic Rhinitis Evaluation
Monitoring patients with allergic rhinitis is paramount to ensure the best treatments for them. With the increased interest in telemedicine services, the Allergic Rhinitis Evaluation score is particularly useful when monitoring patients even when they are out of the office. Physicians can have patients complete the score with a simple smartphone questionnaire and can adjust treatment when symptoms are worsening.
Allergic Conjunctivitis Scoring System for Signs & Symptoms
Determining a patient’s severity of allergic conjunctivitis is important when deciding on treatment options. Oral antihistamines or ophthalmic preparations of antihistamines can help improve symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis. Additionally, proper identification and treatment of allergic conjunctivitis can reduce unnecessary prescriptions for antibiotic ophthalmic drops.
As The Medical Algorithms Company explained in our article on improving prescription drug reimbursements, having a severity score to attach to an insurance company medication authorization form can assist in having the medication approved with less delay.
A prior study found that the costs for allergic rhinitis were over $5 billion per year. Allergic rhinitis affects children and adults, and while symptoms may be mild for millions of people, there are still millions of children who miss school days each year because of severe symptoms and adults who miss work days or are less productive because their symptoms affect their daily lives. Diagnosing the condition and treating aggressively as indicated can reduce overall costs and improve quality of life for millions of patients with allergic rhinitis and other springtime allergy conditions.
Members of the healthcare team can utilize medical algorithms for allergic rhinitis and seasonal allergies whether treating patients in the office or through virtual consults. Having the data available through www.medicalalgorithms.com may lead to fewer missed school and work days, thus improving quality of life and reducing overall healthcare costs by millions of dollars per year.
