Barry Lachman, MD, Medical Director, Parkland Community Health Plan

Barry Lachman, MD
Medical Director, Parkland Community Health Plan
Dallas, Tex.

Parkland Community Health Plan (PCHP), which serves 150,000 Medicaid and CHIP members–the majority under 18–attributes some of its success to its ability to quickly identify asthmatics, who are ideal for DM, by receiving referrals directly from the emergency room and from health risk assessments at entry into managed care. The plan decreased ER visits and hospitalizations by 30% compared to two baseline years. His achievements in asthma have been recognized by DMPC. Dr. Lachman says that his organization recognized the necessity of targeting children under four with asthma–in anticipation of changes in the November 2007 National Asthma Education and Prevention Program national guidelines emphasizing the treatment of that younger population.

Dr. Lachman's secret weapons have been identifying network primary care physicians and specialists to serve as community delivery systems for the treatment of infants; mining data to determine which patients need treatment and care by case managers; granting prior authorization to an entire regimen of medication; providing an enhanced fee to physicians for administering the drug; and eliminating the burden of paying for the expensive medication from the physician.

Dr. Lachman graduated from Franklin and Marshall College and holds a medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine and a M.Ph. degree from the University of Washington. He serves as chairperson of the Medical Management Committee of the Texas Asthma Coalition and has a faculty appointment at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.