Extending Dermatology-Rheumatology Collaborative Practices from Academic to Community Settings to Benefit PsA Patients

Through a collaborative initiative led by PRIME and GRAPPA, the proposed project is intended to support community-based dermatology and rheumatology clinicians in closing major gaps of underdiagnosis, undertreatment, and suboptimal care coordination practices for patients at risk of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) or who have the disease. As indicated in the RFP for this project, a promising approach to closing these gaps involves the shared management of patients with PsA. In this paradigm, dermatologists and rheumatologists integrate key clinical practices and collaborate in ongoing coordinated care. Whereas positive outcomes of shared PsA management approaches have been reported in seminal studies, formidable challenges and barriers must be addressed to fully realize the paradigm’s potential, especially in community-based settings.

 

To address the pressing gaps, challenges, and barriers associated with shared PsA management, PRIME and GRAPPA propose an initiative that involves 3 components: 

1. A national survey study designed to assess perceptions and practices regarding shared PsA management among community-based dermatologists and rheumatologists

2. Six regional CME/CE workshops led by GRAPPA members and designed to support community-based dermatology and rheumatology clinicians in developing and implementing pragmatic action plans for shared PsA management

3. Methods for promoting the sustainability and scalability of the CME/CE workshop outcomes, including follow-on reminders for participants and presentation of the project methods and findings at a GRAPPA national conference and at a second national medical meeting or journal article 

 

Our plan for evaluating the project outcomes includes an innovative approach to assessing relational education-associated changes among dermatology and rheumatology providers.