TR: What is your biggest practice headache? What could the ACR do to help alleviate it?
Dr. Widener: Third-party payers dictating prescribing patterns with prior authorizations and step therapy are the biggest challenge. I think the ACR actually does quite a bit to work on these matters [through member donations received for] RheumPAC, so I think [these issues] are being addressed, but getting more support from members to help raise our voice in these matters is always needed.
On a day-to-day basis, the lack of other rheumatologists regionally leaves quite a load to manage and new patients to address, but that’s not so much of a headache as an expected difficulty. Continuing to encourage graduating fellows to consider community practice in a wide variety of locations is needed to better spread out the rheumatology workforce.
TR: What do you think your peers in research or academia should know about your practice?
Dr. Widener: The way in which I practice on a day-to-day basis has to be efficient and practical—to the best of my ability, at least. As much as I love to get into the deep, dark details, it’s not always feasible in purely clinical practice. Rheumatology is an inherently detail-oriented field of medicine, but in the routine of day-to-day practice we have to learn very quickly what details matter and what can be sorted out later.
I also think it’s important to note that my practice is affected by what researchers are doing and the questions they are trying to answer. I think much is made of the difference between academics and clinical practice, but this is just really different approaches. Both are valuable. It’s important to understand the perspective of both the academic clinicians, who focus on research and teaching, and that of primary clinical rheumatologists, who overwhelmingly spend their time treating patients.
TR: What do you do outside medicine to maintain balance in your life, such as specific activities or hobbies?
Dr. Widener: I love having the time to spend with my wife and two sons. We like to enjoy the outdoors—hiking, camping, fishing. I try to make time to play guitar, and during the fall I spend a fair bit of time hunting, especially with my English setters, looking for upland bird game.
Vanessa Caceres is a medical writer in Bradenton, Fla.
