OBJECTIVES: The significant burden of uncontrolled asthma can be translated into substantial direct and indirect costs to the US health care system.  The objectives of the Characterization of Allergic Asthma: A Chart Review In Moderate-To-Severe Disease To Assess Asthma Control, Allergies, Patient Outcomes And Treatment Study (CHARIOT) study were to assess control of patients with moderate-to-severe asthma, examine the natural history of disease, practice patterns and resource utilization in specialty community practices according to recent National Asthma Education and Prevention Program guidelines by using a novel online approach to gathering data and quickly demonstrating results. METHODS: This was a retrospective, multicenter, randomized study of 1009 patient charts in 60 US allergy and pulmonology community practices. Assessment of patient control, the primary endpoint, was achieved by analyzing data entered via internet-based or paper case report forms (CRFs)   Uncontrolled asthma was defined by occurrence of any of the  events in the recent 12 months of continuous follow-up: systemic corticosteroid burst; frequent short-acting β2 agonist use; ER visit; asthma exacerbation (hospitalization and/or unscheduled visit; limitations on activities; decline in lung function to <80% predicted FEV1 or PEF); daytime dyspnea; doubling of inhaled corticosteroid dose; or addition of another controller medication. RESULTS: A total of 114 sites were invited to participate in CHARIOT, with a 63% response rate leading to site enrollment.  Sixty investigator sites participated to completion and, after WebEx training, only 1 requested paper CRFs but later elected to use electronic forms. Data was successfully collected and analyzed within a 3-month period. Of the 365 male and 644 female patients enrolled (mean 43.2 ± 17.1 years), 81.9% were deemed to be uncontrolled. CONCLUSIONS: Greater than 80% of asthma patients from specialty practices were uncontrolled with regard to asthma symptoms. The novel internet technology allowed for efficient data collection from multiple sites within a short time frame.