Find information here on how the ACR is supporting its members, their patients and the subspecialty as a whole.
Focused on its mission of advancing rheumatology, the ACR works to address the issues affecting its 8,000 members, so they can advance the treatment of, and research for, the over 46 million Americans — including an estimated 300,000 children — who suffer from some form of arthritis or rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease.
The ACR currently has several initiatives in place to advance rheumatology, including advocacy, collaborating on innovative projects and raising funds to ensure the future of the subspecialty.
Fighting Arthritis On Capitol Hill
Congress oversees the Medicare program, including how rheumatologists are reimbursed for the cost of care provided to their patients – calculated by the sustainable growth rate.
For several years, Congress has agreed that the sustainable growth rate is no longer working, but they have done nothing to fix it. As a result, doctors might be forced to stop seeing Medicare patients 
as they won't be able to afford to do so.
The American College of Rheumatology strongly urges Congress—through a consistent presence on Capitol Hill, phone calls, e-mails and district visits, and lobbying events — such as Advocates for Arthritis — to support legislation revising how Medicare payments are calculated, so its members can continue to treat the people who need rheumatology care.
» Ready to join the fight? If you are ready to speak to your lawmakers about the issues affecting rheumatology and rheumatology patients, Visit the ACR's Legislative Action Center to learn how you can easily and quickly send a message to your lawmakers.
Fighting Arthritis Through Strategic Collaborations
» Collaborating on a Lupus Initiative
A newly created initiative of the ACR is Eliminating Health Disparities in Lupus (called EHDLI), which the ACR is completing through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health, Office on Women's Health, and the Office of the Surgeon General. This initiative involves an international group of experts, educators and medical and health professionals who have demonstrated a commitment to lupus and to the elimination of health disparities in affected groups. The group is working to enhance lupus curricula at medical, nursing and health professions schools – all to better prepare the workforce to identify lupus in populations disproportionately affected by the disease.
In addition to traditional methods of educational outreach, the EHDLI is utilizing the most current communication vehicles (e.g., patient/provider websites, social media outlets, podcasts, webinars, etc.) to disseminate valuable information about lupus.
The EHDLI is planning to launch a website this month that will feature information targeted toward trainees, practitioners, patients and their caregivers as well as educators and administrators at medical, nursing and health professions schools. Visit www.rheumatology.org later this month for a link to the EHDLI website.
» Ready to join the fight? If you are a health professional and would like to learn more about how your practice, institution or school can benefit from the EHDLI, contact Lisa Amaker at
» Collaborating on Ad Council Campaigns
The ACR is a partner two national Ad Council campaigns. The first is a lupus awareness campaign called, "Could I Have Lupus?" that is designed to heighten awareness about lupus and its symptoms and encourages women who suspect they have lupus to ask their doctors for a medical evaluation. The second is an osteoarthritis awareness campaign called, "Fight Arthritis Pain," which is geared towards adults 55 and over who are currently living with or are at risk for OA. The campaign aims to empower them to take simple steps that can change the course of the disease and improve the quality of their lives.
» Ready to Join the fight? Visit www.couldihavelupus.gov and www.fightarthritispain.org to learn more about lupus and osteoarthritis as well as to get tips on living with, and finding appropriate treatment for, these rheumatic diseases.
Fighting Arthritis Through Funding
Attracting more quality doctors to the rheumatology field, and keeping them, is significantly influenced by the availability of rheumatology training and research funding.
For the past 25 years, the ACR Research and Education Foundation has offered an extensive core awards and grants portfolio that exists to train and develop rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals and nurture novel research ideas for the future.
The core awards are designed to select the best in each niche of rheumatology, foster their ideas, and prepare them for larger awards and grants from other institutions to sustain their long-term careers.
This formula has allowed the REF to grow into the premier private source of funding for rheumatology training and research in the U.S., funding more than $5 million annually through its core awards and grants program.
» REF Core Education & Training Awards
Recruiting more quality rheumatologists starts with strong academic training centers. The REF is the only organization dedicated to strengthening the national rheumatology academic training environment.
Ten year growth of the REF’s core education and training awards program has resulted in a nearly 50 percent increase in the number of Fellows completing rheumatology training in the 107 ACGME U.S. accredited programs.
The REF education and training awards help to cultivate future generations of rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals.
» REF Core Research Awards
Establishing a research career in the rheumatology field requires the availability of major research funding. Increasing concerns over shortfalls in federal funding for investigator-driven rheumatologic research have forced many physician-scientists and health professionals to reconsider their careers.
To combat this, the REF provides research awards designed to attract early and mid-career investigators to continue vital research into the cause, prevention and treatment of rheumatic diseases.
Through these programs, the REF ushers in tomorrow’s rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals, which translates into improved patient care for those affected by rheumatic diseases.
» Ready to join the fight? Click here to learn how you can support the Foundation and how the foundation is supporting the future of rheumatology.
