The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 NewsACR Convergence
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
      • Psoriatic Arthritis
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / ACR Puts Forward Principles on Patient Access to Care

ACR Puts Forward Principles on Patient Access to Care

March 1, 2017 • By Mary Beth Nierengarten

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

As the 115th Congress and the Trump administration consider potential reforms to the healthcare system, including actions related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), physicians around the country remain vitally concerned about the need to preserve and improve access to care for their patients.

You Might Also Like
  • ACR Puts Forward Principles on Patient Access to Care
  • ACR Urges CMMI to Test Transparently: Coalition offers principles to guide CMS’s care innovation efforts
  • EULAR 2014: Shorten Delay for Access to Rheumatologic Patient Care
Also By This Author
  • The ACR Launches Initiative to Tackle Workforce Shortage

To that end, the ACR continues to lobby for policies that will ensure access to quality healthcare and ensure the cost of care is not a barrier to access. In a letter sent to Congressional leaders, the ACR requested specific healthcare provisions to ensure access to care:

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE
  • No preexisting illness exclusions;
  • Affordable premiums, deductibles and cost-sharing. High-deductible plans can reduce access to medically necessary rheumatologic treatments, such as biologics;
  • Limitation of patient copayments, which reduce access to care and treatments;
  • Caps on annual out-of-pocket patient costs, and a ban on lifetime limits on healthcare costs;
  • Coverage allowing children to remain on their parent’s insurance plan until age 26;
  • Coverage for services that are exceptionally valuable to arthritis patients (e.g., biological therapies, physical and occupational therapy);
  • Coverage of health educational activities for chronic arthritis patients, realizing the importance of education in the management of chronic rheumatic diseases;
  • Recognition of the difficulties of travel for rheumatic disease patients: Laboratory, radiological services and infusion services should be conveniently available near the source of the patient’s medical care;
  • Continuation of the currently-required essential health benefits, in order to ensure patients have access to a robust set of healthcare services; and
  • Maintain the Food and Drug Administration’s authority to approve safe, effective biosimilars.

The ACR’s position statement on access to care encapsulates these points, and advocates for adults and children to have access to continuous health insurance to ensure high-quality healthcare coverage for conditions specific to rheumatology, including chronic arthritis and rheumatic diseases.

Patient Benefits
The need for high-quality healthcare coverage for these patients is underscored by the substantial benefits of access to care that, for example, can reduce morbidity and prevent disability in patients when rheumatoid arthritis is detected early and treated adequately. Patients with rheumatic conditions who have proper access to expensive medicines, such as biologics, as well as access to rheumatologists, who are in short supply, have significantly improved outcomes.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Other Key Areas of Advocacy
In addition to advocating for the preservation of select features of the ACA and addressing cost concerns, the ACR position statement also advocates for the expansion of provider networks to ensure access to expert rheumatologic care, according to Colin C. Edgerton, MD, a member of the ACR Committee on Rheumatologic Care.

Pages: 1 2 | Single Page

Filed Under: Legislation & Advocacy, Practice Management, Professional Topics Tagged With: Access to care, chronic arthritis, healthcare coverage, healthcare provisions, ongoing care, position statement, rheumatic diseases

You Might Also Like:
  • ACR Puts Forward Principles on Patient Access to Care
  • ACR Urges CMMI to Test Transparently: Coalition offers principles to guide CMS’s care innovation efforts
  • EULAR 2014: Shorten Delay for Access to Rheumatologic Patient Care
  • The ACR Testifies before Congress on Patient Access

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use / Cookie Preferences

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2023 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)