Podcast

The ACR podcast kicks off with a rousing discussion about the latest JIA guidelines and how physician assistants can help curb the rheumatology workforce shortage.

Interview 1 with Dr. Sheila Angeles Han - Dr. Sheila Angeles-Han is a pediatric rheumatologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and an Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati. She focuses her work on juvenile idiopathic arthritis, particularly in improving visual outcomes of children with uveitis and decreasing vision loss and blindness. She has received numerous grants, Including being the Principal Investigator of an NIH K23 award to evaluate outcomes of children with JIA-associated uveitis.

Resources:
JIA-Uveitis Guideline

Interview 2 with Barbara Slusher - Barbara Slusher, MSW, PA-C, DFAAPA is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the School of Medicine, Department of Physician Assistant Studies (PAS) at the at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). She has been involved in rheumatology clinical care for over a decade and has also worked to develop a rheumatology curriculum for NPs and PAs.

Resources:
ACR Workforce Study
Webinar: NP/PA Evaluation and Feedback

This episode is a special Hot Topics edition with Dr. Hausmann, Dr. Suleman Bhana, and Dr. Paul Sufka with an engaging conversation on new journal articles. Articles discussed:

Treatment to Target Using Recombinant Interleukin‐1 Receptor Antagonist as First‐Line Monotherapy in New‐Onset Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Results From a Five‐Year Follow‐Up Study

Predictors of disease worsening defined by progression of organ damage in diffuse systemic sclerosis: a European Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) analysis

Antinuclear Antibody–Negative Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in an International Inception Cohort

Speaker Suleman Bhana - Suleman Bhana, MD is a practicing rheumatologist at Crystal Run Healthcare in the Hudson Valley area of New York. He is currently serving as the chair of the American College of Rheumatology’s Communications and Marketing Committee.

Speaker Paul Sufka - Paul Sufka, MD is a staff rheumatologist with HealthPartners Medical Group and Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota and an assistant program director for the University of Minnesota Department of Internal Medicine. He is currently serving as the social media editor for the ACR's journals.

In episode three, Dr. Hausmann and his guests, Dr. Colin Edgerton, chair of the ACR's Committee on Rheumatologic Care and Dr. Angus Worthing, chair of the ACR's Government Affairs Committee, take listeners on a journey into value-based care and how it impacts the rheumatology profession.

Speaker Colin Edgerton - Colin Edgerton, MD, FACP, FACR is a rheumatologist at Articularis Healthcare in Summerville, South Carolina. As chair of the ACR’s Committee on Rheumatologic Care, he leads a team focused on potential changes that may impact health-care delivery, financing and technology. Follow him on Twitter at @ColinEdgerton.

Speaker Angus Worthing - Angus Worthing, MD, FACP, FACR is a rheumatologist with Arthritis and Rheumatism Associates in Washington, D.C. He also serves as Chair of the ACR Government Affairs Committee as the lead advocate for rheumatology on Capitol Hill and at federal agencies like Medicare and the FDA. Follow him on Twitter at @AngusWorthing.

Resources:
Medicare Part D “Donut Hole”
MACRA
MIPs
ACR Position Statement on Step Therapy
2015 American College of Rheumatology Guidelines for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis
ACR RISE Registry
ACR Legislative Action Center
Contact the ACR advocacy team at advocacy@rheumatology.org
Rheumatic Disease Awareness Month
Advocates for Arthritis
ACR Membership
ACR Committees
ACR Micro Volunteer Opportunities
ACR Fellows in Training Resources (FITS)

Episode 4 is a continuation of our series on value-based care and how to measure quality of care. Our guest host, Dr. Vaneet Sandhu, will chat with Dr. Lisa Suter about quality measurement, improvement and implementation, and what that means for the rheumatology specialty.

Guest Host Vaneet Sandhu - Our guest host is Vaneet Sandhu, MD, an assistant professor in the Division of Rheumatology at Loma Linda University Medical Center and the director of fellowship and clinical operations at Riverside University Health System. Dr. Sandhu is also a member of the ACR’s Communications and Marketing Committee.

Speaker Lisa Suter - Lisa Suter, MD is an associate professor of medicine in the Section of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine. She is a leading expert in rheumatology performance measurement and the Director of Quality Measurement Programs at CORE where she directs the MIDS Task Order Development, Revaluation and Implementation of Outcome/Efficiency Measures for Hospital and Eligible Clinicians contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Suter is the co-chair of the Quality Measures Subcommittee of the American College of Rheumatology's Quality of Care Committee.

Resources:
ACR White Paper on Performance Outcome Measures in Rheumatology
ACR on Air, Episode 3 - Value-based Care in Rheumatology (see podcasts above)
MACRA
MIPs
ACR RISE Registry
ACR Membership
ACR Committees