This message needs to reach our patients. Adults with arthritis are more likely to attend a self-management education program and exercise when recommended by a healthcare provider. Educating our patients is critical.
The new arthritis prevalence numbers from the CDC—as well as the arthritis management approaches promoted by the report—are particularly salient at a time when specialized rheumatology care is at a high premium in the U.S.
Demand for Arthritis Care Outpaces Supply
While the demand for arthritis care continues to grow, the ACR’s latest workforce study shows that the pool of practicing U.S. rheumatologists is shrinking.3 The percentage of adults limited by arthritis has increased by nearly 20% since 2002. As our population grows and ages, the numbers affected with arthritis will increase also. The CDC estimates that by 2025 about 67 million Americans will have arthritis and the number will grow to 78 million by 2040. These are sobering projections.
The ACR workforce study paints a stark picture, with a shortage of 3,800 rheumatologists in the U.S. by 2025. The demand for rheumatology care will exceed supply by 138% for adult rheumatologists and 61% for pediatric rheumatologists by 2030. What is driving the rheumatology workforce shortage? In a word, demographics. Just about half of all current rheumatologists are baby boomers, and most will retire in the next two decades. So-called regional maldistribution also plays a role, because the overall adult-to-physician ratio varies widely by geographic location.
ACR at Work
Given the CDC’s projected rise in the number of arthritis patients and the ACR’s anticipated drop in the relative supply of rheumatologists, inaction is not an option. The ACR is committed to ensuring a thriving rheumatology workforce to care for the growing number of Americans living with arthritis and rheumatologic diseases. It is imperative that all of us in the medical community—and especially those in the field of rheumatology—make our voices heard.
Congress has the power to raise the caps on the number of federally funded rheumatology training positions, ensure loan forgiveness for new rheumatologists and expedite the review process for international physicians to work in the U.S. But legislators will not take action unless we do—which is why ACR volunteer leaders will travel to Washington, D.C., this month to meet with our lawmakers and ask for their support in advancing common-sense solutions to the workforce shortage.
Through our public awareness campaign, Simple Tasks, the ACR is focused on educating the public about arthritis care and the critical role of rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals in helping patients manage their disease, as well as telling the story of how the current rheumatology workforce shortage affects our profession and the patients we serve. The College has also declared September Rheumatic Disease Awareness Month (RDAM) to raise awareness about rheumatic diseases. We will continue to promote this public awareness effort this year, with the support of a celebrity spokesperson in September.
