Our patients have the opportunity to receive promising new treatments before most patients. We are able to care for their allergic disease at no cost during the studies. Indeed, most studies include payment for the patients' time in coming into the office. They also receive a free thorough physical exam to determine eligibility for the study. We physicians and research staff enjoy being on the cutting edge of new developments and have extensive experience with these new agents when they are finally released for general use.
Research is also a welcome break from more routine aspects of medical practice.
As a result of these activities we become authorities in areas of research and are often asked to give talks to medical providers about these illnesses. The most common research study for our program is the final large multicenter studies to show efficacy of a new asthma medication. Patients with asthma of moderate severity are sought from our practice, advertisements, and among patients who have been in such studies before. A thorough history, physical exam, and laboratory evaluation is done to be sure there is no complicating illness. The patient usually keeps a diary, performs home lung function measurements, and records medicine use.