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
    • Ankylosing Spondylitis Resource Center
    • Gout 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
  • 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 / Rheumatoid Arthritis: Time Is of the Essence

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Time Is of the Essence

June 1, 2008 • By Sue Pondrom

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

This is Part Two of a two-part series on early arthritis clinics. (See Part 1 on page 1 of the May 2008 issue.)

You Might Also Like
  • The Key to Early Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Stop the Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Cascade Early
  • Cobra Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Explore This Issue
June 2008
Also By This Author
  • Prevalence of Gout and Hyperuricemia Increase in U.S.

Over the last 20 years, early, aggressive treatment has become the standard of care for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Yet, there are relatively few specialized early arthritis clinics (EACs) available to the 1.3 million RA patients in the United States, in spite of the tremendous success of EACs in Europe. Why is this?

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

According to physicians interviewed by The Rheumatologist, there are many reasons for the paucity of this type of clinic:

  • America’s healthcare system differs from that of Europe—it’s not designed for early, easy patient access;
  • The referral base is not adequately educated about the nature of early inflammatory synovitis and the importance of early diagnosis and treatment;
  • Medical schools aren’t teaching new doctors enough about RA;
  • The effort needed to start an EAC does not appear to justify the time and expense; and
  • Many rheumatologists believe they can handle early RA patients within their existing schedules.

However, in spite of good intentions, most RA during the early stages of disease isn’t being seen in a timely manner.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Challenges for EACs in the U.S.

Ninety percent of patients with musculoskeletal and autoimmune disorders are receiving rheumatology care from their primary care physician (PCP), according to data gathered by Stephen A. Paget, MD, chair of the division of rheumatology at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. In fact, less than 50% of RA patients are referred to specialists within the first six months of symptom onset.1 The actual percentage may be considerably lower, according to research by rheumatologist John J. Cush, MD, chief of rheumatology and clinical immunology at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas. He that says fewer than 5% of RA patients are seen by rheumatologists in the first six months, and the average new RA patient comes in with disease duration of two to three years.

Is the solution to increasing access to establish an EAC? Not necessarily. It takes money to establish infrastructure, hire and train staff, and advertise to physicians and the public. Just because the EAC concept worked in Europe doesn’t mean it will in the U.S. For example, while Europe has an easier-to-negotiate single-payer insurance system, the U.S. has hundreds of payers, complicating the financial aspects. Also, European medical communities are relatively small, making it easier to educate and get referrals from local physicians. If an EAC is established in an American community, will the medical office get appropriate referrals?

Pages: 1 2 3 4 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, Rheumatoid Arthritis Tagged With: clinic, Diagnosis, Diagnostic Criteria, Rheumatoid arthritis, TreatmentIssue: June 2008

You Might Also Like:
  • The Key to Early Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Stop the Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Cascade Early
  • Cobra Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Is Rheumatoid Arthritis Preventable?

Rheumatology Research Foundation

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

Learn more »

Meeting Abstracts

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

Visit the Abstracts site »

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 © 2006–2021 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

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

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.