In an effort to ameliorate serious rheumatology provider shortages, the ACR Workforce Solutions Committee has developed a new resource for primary care providers who treat patients with rheumatic conditions.
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Workforce Solutions: Invite a Primary Care Provider to Shadow You
As Kimberly Steinbarger discussed in her article “Make Way for the Interprofessional Rheumatology Team” (The Rheumatologist, October 2023), an interprofessional team approach would be crucial to the most appropriate management of rheumatology patients with multiple comorbidities. Unfortunately, in many rural areas throughout the country, subspecialists are in short supply or are lacking altogether. Patients are…
Even with Insurance, Fewer Americans Seeing Primary Care Providers
(Reuters Health)—Almost half of U.S. adults with private health insurance are not visiting primary care providers for routine care or sick visits, a new study suggests. Between 2008 and 2016, the number of annual primary care visits for every 100 people with private health insurance declined by 22%, from 169.5 to 134.3, the study found….
Declining Numbers of Americans Have a Primary Care Provider
(Reuters Health)—In a little over a decade, the number of patients in the U.S. with primary care providers dropped by 2%, a new study finds. Between 2002 and 2015, fewer and fewer Americans of all ages, except for those in their 80s, had a primary care provider, researchers report in JAMA Internal Medicine.1 Although 2%…
eConsult Communications Reveal the Common Questions from Primary Care Physicians about Rheumatology Care
A recent study reveals the common misconceptions of primary care physicians about rheumatologic care, such as the difference between inflammatory and non-inflammatory arthropathy. Researchers believe such misconceptions can be targeted to improve patients’ timely access to care and diagnosis…
COIN Delivers Lupus Education to Primary Care Physicians
Two of the ACR’s Collaborative Initiatives (COIN) programs share a goal: to educate non-rheumatologist providers about systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) symptoms to facilitate referrals, accurate diagnosis and therapy. Small Group Provider Sessions Launched in 2016, Small Group Provider Sessions provide lupus education while connecting frontline providers to a local rheumatologist in often underserved areas. The…
Lower Medicaid Fees Linked to Scarcer Primary Care Appointments
(Reuters Health)—When the fees paid to healthcare providers by Medicaid go up, appointments with primary care doctors suddenly become more available to Medicaid beneficiaries – and the opposite happens when fees go down, according to a recent U.S. study. Researchers found that, overall, every $10 change up or down in the Medicaid fees paid to…
From the Front Lines: Managing RA Comorbidities in Primary Care
How are comorbidities for RA patients managed outside of rheumatology? A recent Canadian study developed and assessed quality measures related to preventive care and screenings for RA patients in a primary care setting, comparing RA and non-RA patients. The results: Primary care physicians often provide similar levels of care to patients with and without RA. But RA patients were less likely to receive some cancer screenings and all necessary tests to assess their cardiovascular risk…
How Medicare’s Chronic Care Management Payments Could Affect Primary Care
(Reuters Health)—Medicare’s new “chronic care management” (CCM) payment program could make it more financially feasible for physicians to deliver services between visits. Under the new program, Medicare could reimburse primary care practices about $40 month for such things as medication management and communication with other doctors for patients who have two or more chronic medical…
Chronic Care Management Payments Can Increase Primary Care Revenues
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Medicare’s new chronic care management (CCM) payments could boost revenues for primary care practices, but many could experience net losses due to opportunity costs of face-to-face visit time, according to results from a modeling study. “The loss of revenue when MD’s did all the work themselves was somewhat surprising,” Dr. Sanjay Basu,…
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