TY - JOUR T1 - Can We Call a Model of Care a “Model” If We Cannot Measure Its Performance? JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 1493 LP - 1494 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.180451 VL - 45 IS - 11 AU - NATASHA K. GAKHAL Y1 - 2018/11/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/45/11/1493.abstract N2 - It has now been well established that early diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) improve outcomes1.The barriers to early diagnosis and treatment are many but the most frequently cited are a shortage of rheumatologists and an increasing burden of inflammatory arthritis as the population increases and ages2,3. These barriers have prompted many groups across the country, at both the local and national levels, to develop innovative models of care (MOC) to improve access, diagnosis, and treatment for RA. Further, funding agencies such as The Canadian Institutes of Health Research4 and The Arthritis Society5 have research priorities in developing MOC for arthritis; policy makers are more than ever looking to optimize access and improve quality of care, and patients are demanding it as well.For an MOC to be a “model” for others to follow and implement, evaluation of its performance is key. The Arthritis Alliance of Canada (AAC) has developed 6 system-level performance measures to assess whether an MOC is effective in improving access to care and early treatment of inflammatory arthritis6. The term model of care is a frequently used term in our current healthcare landscape and it can carry different meanings in different contexts. Therefore, before we can evaluate these MOC we have … Address correspondence to Dr. N.K. Gakhal, Women’s College Hospital, 76 Grenville St., Room 3438, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1B2, Canada. E-mail: natasha.gakhal{at}wchospital.ca ER -