Variance in ordering of care can be characterized as the lack of uniform use of specific treatments by clinicians for a given medical condition. Unwarranted variance in healthcare has been associated with prolonged length of stay, diminished health and increased cost. Practice variation in the management of asthma can be significant and few investigators have evaluated strategies to reduce this variation. We hypothesized that selective redesign of order sets using different ways to frame the order and physician decision-making in a computerized provider order entry system could increase adherence to evidence-based care and reduce population-specific variance.