Excerpt
More effective disease modifying and biologic drugs for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the documented benefits of early treatment have created a priority for rapid access to rheumatology consultation1,2. Unfortunately, long wait times preclude such care in many communities, and the projected deficit of rheumatologists in the United States relative to demand is expected to worsen this access problem3. A common response among rheumatologists has been to identify these “early arthritis patients” and schedule them preferentially.
The report by Thompson and Graydon in this issue of The Journal describes a process for triaging the urgency of referrals, and assesses its performance4…
