# Improving Medication Adherence with Telehealthcare Medication Therapy Management to Change Health Outcomes in Adolescents and YoungAdults with Asthma (MATCH)

> **NIH NIH R01** · NEMOURS CHILDREN'S CLINIC · 2022 · $674,827

## Abstract

Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are highly effective medications for treatment of asthma in adolescents and young
adults (AYA), yet in this age group the adherence rate for ICS at best is 50% and poor inhaler technique is
present in 60%. Poor adherence results in asthma exacerbations leading to increased healthcare costs.
Medication therapy management (MTM) is a structured, individualized approach to optimize health outcomes
through improved medication use and is legislated through the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and
Modernization Act of 2003; over 600 programs exist. Typical MTM consultations occur by telephone, and less
often, in a community pharmacy setting. Neither setting is optimal for patients with asthma as telephone
encounters lack the visual interaction needed for observing and teaching inhaler technique and most
pharmacies lack privacy for the consultation. The increased use of video telehealthcare (VT) and the pervasive
use of smart phones with cameras by AYA provide an opportunity to move MTM consultations into a private
space. We propose a 12-month masked randomized trial in AYA 14- to 30-years old with poorly controlled
asthma while receiving ICS to test a MTM VT intervention plus electronic adherence self-management (EAM)
(using CareTRx sensors and mobile application), versus EAM alone to measure ICS adherence and asthma
health outcomes and determine cost-benefit. ICS adherence and albuterol use will be tracked in real time using
CareTRx, which is novel and will improve the accuracy and relevance of adherence data. Our preliminary data
indicate that inhaler technique training can be achieved effectively during VT and families like the convenience
of VT. Our long-term goal is to develop a tailored, effective, and sustainable MTM VT intervention to improve
asthma medication adherence and health outcomes in AYA. The American Lung Association Airways Clinical
Research Centers will conduct the trial. The University of Florida Center for Quality Medication Management,
the largest academic MTM provider in the nation, will conduct the MTM VT encounters. The UF Department of
Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy will conduct the cost-benefit analysis. Use of existing MTM infrastructure
to conduct a meaningful tailored VT asthma adherence intervention adds feasibility for expansion to other MTM
programs around the country. We hypothesize that MTM VT plus EAM will improve adherence and prolong the
time to asthma exacerbations compared to EAM alone. Our Specific Aims are to: (1) identify themes unique to
AYA that will inform a tailored approach for MTM VT; (2) test the hypothesis that MTM VT improves health and
medication outcomes in a randomized clinical trial; (3) test the hypothesis that MTM VT reduces asthma health
care costs. The results of this innovative project are important because MTM VT is a viable alternative to
patient and provider interaction by phone or in a community pharmacy and analyzing the cost-benefit is
essential...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10466763
- **Project number:** 5R01HL136945-05
- **Recipient organization:** NEMOURS CHILDREN'S CLINIC
- **Principal Investigator:** KATHRYN V BLAKE
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $674,827
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-05-01 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10466763

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10466763, Improving Medication Adherence with Telehealthcare Medication Therapy Management to Change Health Outcomes in Adolescents and YoungAdults with Asthma (MATCH) (5R01HL136945-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10466763. Licensed CC0.

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