The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • 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
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • 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 / Healthcare Extenders Can Reduce Physician Burden & Improve Patient Access & Care

Healthcare Extenders Can Reduce Physician Burden & Improve Patient Access & Care

August 11, 2021 • By Kimberly Steinbarger, PT, MHS, DHSc, & Saba Mohiuddin, PharmD, BCACP

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF
insta_photos / shutterstock.com

insta_photos / shutterstock.com

In the early 1900s, the treatment for rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease (RMD) was primarily targeted at symptomatic relief and included analgesics, physical therapy, splinting and bed rest. With the discovery of methotrexate and its impact on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management, a much-needed evolution of medications targeting disease activity began.

You Might Also Like
  • 2015 ACR Workforce Study Report Offers Rheumatologists Chance to Improve Patient Care, Financial Outlook
  • ACR Puts Forward Principles on Patient Access to Care
  • Rheumatology Research Foundation Grant Funds Training to Improve Patient Care
Explore This Issue
August 2021

Over the past 30 years, several med­ications have been added to the armamentarium for rheumatic diseases, starting with medications now considered disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (e.g., sulfasalazine, hydroxychloroquine, methotrexate). With the late 1990s came biologic therapies, including monoclonal antibodies and genetically engineered proteins that target cytokines and cell surface molecules.1

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

This pharmacologic evolution has greatly improved the lives of those with RMD; however, work disability, fatigue and the need for psychosocial support remain concerns. Team-based interventions, including non-pharmacologic, have also emerged as priorities for both patients and provider teams.

Patient and provider opinions differ regarding treatment priorities.2,3 Physicians excel at tracking the number of swollen joints, pain level, labs and global measures, but patients would also like their fatigue, stiffness, self-management, participation, sleep, emotional distress and daily functioning addressed. This is much more than a rheumatologist can address in an office appointment, especially in areas of the country with limited access to specialists.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Enter the healthcare extender.

A holistic approach to caring for patients with RMD goes beyond the medications that help prevent disease progression and damage. It requires a team of practitioners, each with their own expertise, to contribute to an individual’s quality of life.

To help meet the needs of the patient population with RMD, rheumatologists can look to advanced practice providers (APPs), including physical therapists (PTs), occupational therapists (OTs) and pharmacists. Other APPs that rheumatology practices should consider to meet varying patient needs are physician assistants (PAs), nurse practitioners (NPs), dietitians and social workers. Developing relationships with these practitioners early in their disease process can help patients preserve function, reduce pain and increase their ability to participate in activities of daily living.4

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

PTs

PTs can do much more than help patients with a hot joint to improve function. They can develop individualized physical activity plans for patients and suggest changes patients can make to adapt to the cyclical nature of their disease.

Doctorally prepared PTs are at the forefront of prevention and wellness for those with neuromusculoskeletal conditions and are starting to make inroads into primary healthcare.5 They are important patient advocates in developing accommodation plans in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act. They are experts in non-pharmacological pain management, particularly as it affects mobility, activity, fatigue and sleep.

Pages: 1 2 3 | Single Page

Filed Under: Interprofessional Perspective, Workforce Tagged With: Advanced Practice Clinicians, Association of Rheumatology Professionals (ARP), dietitian, nurse practitioner, occupational therapists, pharmacist, physical therapist, physician assistants, social workerIssue: August 2021

You Might Also Like:
  • 2015 ACR Workforce Study Report Offers Rheumatologists Chance to Improve Patient Care, Financial Outlook
  • ACR Puts Forward Principles on Patient Access to Care
  • Rheumatology Research Foundation Grant Funds Training to Improve Patient Care
  • ACR Puts Forward Principles on Patient Access to Care

Meeting Abstracts

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

Visit the Abstracts site »

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

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 »

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

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

Copyright © 2006–2022 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

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