TY - JOUR T1 - Toward Quality of Cardiovascular Preventive Care for Patients with Rheumatic Diseases JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 1539 LP - 1541 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.150697 VL - 42 IS - 9 AU - JOHN M. DAVIS III Y1 - 2015/09/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/42/9/1539.abstract N2 - Cardiovascular disease (CVD) in various guises represents perhaps the most important comorbidity in patients with rheumatic diseases. This is best studied in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), who have consistently been reported to have significantly elevated CVD risk as compared to their peers in the general population1,2. Over the past decade, the roles of RA-associated and conventional risk factors in the pathogenesis of CVD have been delineated3. The importance of treating the joint disease to target has been established, focusing on abating systemic inflammation, which may conceivably minimize the risk of CVD4,5. Emerging evidence suggests that we may be contributing to improved survival of patients with RA, but evidence remains of a persisting mortality gap between patients with RA and the general population5,6,7,8.Considering this information, it should be considered a priority to establish standards of preventive care that are specific to patients with RA (and eventually, other rheumatic diseases). Indeed, there is evidence pointing to variation in practice and to deficiencies in recognition and treatment of traditional CV risk factors in patients with RA8,9. The ultimate goal of developing RA-specific guidelines for CVD primary prevention would be to facilitate broader understanding of best practices and provide metrics for rheumatology care providers to ensure they are delivering high-value care toward primary prevention of CVD in patients with RA.In this issue of The Journal, Barber and colleagues report recommendations for 11 quality indicators (QI) for CVD preventive care for implementation in practice settings10. The concept of … Address correspondence to Dr. Davis, Mayo Building 15-73E, 200 1st St. SW, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA. E-mail: davis.john4{at}mayo.edu ER -