Rheumatologist shortage article -Toledo Blade

[Guest guest]

Rheumatologist shortage has patients waiting in pain

By LUKE SHOCKMAN

BLADE STAFF WRITER

Tomasa Wetmore of Toledo is in pain and growing tired of downing Tylenol and

Advil.

Her doctor thinks she may have fibromyalgia, a condition in which the body’s

joints and muscles ache.

He has told her to seek treatment from a rheumatologist, but a shortage of these

specialists nationwide and locally means Ms. Wetmore will have to wait in pain

for quite some time before she gets help.

" I’ve been knocking myself out trying to find a doctor, and then when I did

find someone, they said it’s going to take months to get in, " she said, adding

that her appointment is not until late August.

Rheumatologists specialize in treating joint and muscle problems, especially

arthritis and inflammatory conditions like fibromyalgia. Demand for their

services has been growing steadily over the years. However, their numbers have

been declining for a variety of factors, including relatively low pay that has

led fewer medical students to choose the specialty.

Dr. Santoro, a rheumatologist at Medical College of Ohio, said in his six

years at MCO he’s taught hundreds of residents and students and only one has

gone on to become a rheumatologist.

The problem of finding a rheumatologist is expected to get worse as the Baby

Boomer generation ages. Arthritis tends to affect older people, although some

forms of the disease affect the middle-aged and young, including children.

About 43 million Americans have arthritis or another rheumatic disorder. That

number could grow to 60 million by 2020, according to the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

By the time someone reaches 75, it’s almost guaranteed that they’ll have

arthritis in at least one joint. Arthritis and its related disorders are the

most common form of disability, resulting in about $260 billion annually in

direct medical costs, according to the CDC.

The shortage of rheumatologists has gotten worse in the Toledo area. Several

years ago there were seven full-time rheumatologists and one half-time

physician. Now there are six full-time rheumatologists. For new patients - if a

local physician accepts new patients - the typical wait averages three months or

more. In some parts of the country, the average wait is six months.

" It’s been a real problem, and it’s just gotten worse over the years, " said

Dr. Farber, a Toledo rheumatologist.

But if patients wait too long before starting treatment, " it’s frequently too

late to do anything, " Dr. Farber said.

Rheumatologists are not the only specialized physicians in short supply.

Anesthesiologists, cardiologists, and other specialists are all hard to come by

in many areas of the country, including Toledo.

Dr. Klippel, medical director for the national Arthritis Foundation, said a

delay of even a few months can be harmful to patients with some forms of

arthritis and inflammatory diseases.

" A several-month wait is, in fact, not acceptable, " he said. " Damage in this

disease can occur early, so getting a proper diagnosis and getting started on

therapy is very critical. "

Dr. Farber’s point that primary care physicians may treat many arthritis

patients, while true, is little consolation to Dr. Dennis of the

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

Dr. Dennis said research under way now is trying to improve treatment options

for those with osteoarthritis. Like treatments already available for rheumatoid

arthritis, those treatments will require specialized knowledge usually available

only to rheumatologists.

" Primary care physicians won’t begin to have the knowledge in using these

drugs, " he said.

As a result, patients may miss out on treatments that could save them from pain

and even stop damage from arthritis, he said.

Dr. Treuhaft, another Toledo rheumatologist, said the long waits are

frustrating to him because he knows how beneficial the new therapies are.

" The drug treatments available in just the last few years are better than

anything we’ve seen in history, and by and large we’re the ones

administering those treatments, " he said.

The demand for rheumatologists is beginning to increase salaries, but that’s

just making the problem worse in some cases.

For example, Dr. Farber said his group has been trying to recruit another

rheumatologist for more than two years without luck.

He said one recent candidate fresh out of training wanted a starting salary more

than he and his colleagues were making after decades of experience.

Dr. mood, a Findlay rheumatologist, has felt the effects of the

Toledo rheumatologist shortage too.

In the last several years he’s seen more patients from Toledo. The length of

wait for new patients in his office is still pretty good - about two to four

weeks.

" I’m coming in Saturdays just to catch up, " he said.

Evidence of a shortage is everywhere, Dr. mood said.

" At our national meeting every year there’s a bulletin board where people will

put up employment notices [of practices or hospitals looking for

rheumatologists]. "

" There were three bulletin boards at the last meeting that were completely full

of notices " Dr. mood said. " I’m sure there were several hundred notices. "

JeanneGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download :

http://explorer.msn.com

[Guest guest]

This is a good article, Jeanne. Thanks for posting it.

Wish there were reason to be optimistic that the shortage would ease in

the future, but it doesn't look like that will happen.

[ ] Rheumatologist shortage article -Toledo Blade

Rheumatologist shortage has patients waiting in pain

By LUKE SHOCKMAN

BLADE STAFF WRITER

Tomasa Wetmore of Toledo is in pain and growing tired of downing Tylenol

and Advil.

Her doctor thinks she may have fibromyalgia, a condition in which the

body’s joints and muscles ache.

He has told her to seek treatment from a rheumatologist, but a shortage

of these specialists nationwide and locally means Ms. Wetmore will have

to wait in pain for quite some time before she gets help.

" I’ve been knocking myself out trying to find a doctor, and then when I

did find someone, they said it’s going to take months to get in, " she

said, adding that her appointment is not until late August.

Rheumatologists specialize in treating joint and muscle problems,

especially arthritis and inflammatory conditions like fibromyalgia.

Demand for their services has been growing steadily over the years.

However, their numbers have been declining for a variety of factors,

including relatively low pay that has led fewer medical students to

choose the specialty.

Dr. Santoro, a rheumatologist at Medical College of Ohio, said in

his six years at MCO he’s taught hundreds of residents and students and

only one has gone on to become a rheumatologist.

The problem of finding a rheumatologist is expected to get worse as the

Baby Boomer generation ages. Arthritis tends to affect older people,

although some forms of the disease affect the middle-aged and young,

including children.

About 43 million Americans have arthritis or another rheumatic disorder.

That number could grow to 60 million by 2020, according to the Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

By the time someone reaches 75, it’s almost guaranteed that they’ll have

arthritis in at least one joint. Arthritis and its related disorders are

the most common form of disability, resulting in about $260 billion

annually in direct medical costs, according to the CDC.

The shortage of rheumatologists has gotten worse in the Toledo area.

Several years ago there were seven full-time rheumatologists and one

half-time physician. Now there are six full-time rheumatologists. For

new patients - if a local physician accepts new patients - the typical

wait averages three months or more. In some parts of the country, the

average wait is six months.

" It’s been a real problem, and it’s just gotten worse over the years, "

said Dr. Farber, a Toledo rheumatologist.

But if patients wait too long before starting treatment, " it’s

frequently too late to do anything, " Dr. Farber said.

Rheumatologists are not the only specialized physicians in short supply.

Anesthesiologists, cardiologists, and other specialists are all hard to

come by in many areas of the country, including Toledo.

Dr. Klippel, medical director for the national Arthritis

Foundation, said a delay of even a few months can be harmful to patients

with some forms of arthritis and inflammatory diseases.

" A several-month wait is, in fact, not acceptable, " he said. " Damage in

this disease can occur early, so getting a proper diagnosis and getting

started on therapy is very critical. "

Dr. Farber’s point that primary care physicians may treat many arthritis

patients, while true, is little consolation to Dr. Dennis of the

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

Dr. Dennis said research under way now is trying to improve treatment

options for those with osteoarthritis. Like treatments already available

for rheumatoid arthritis, those treatments will require specialized

knowledge usually available only to rheumatologists.

" Primary care physicians won’t begin to have the knowledge in using

these drugs, " he said.

As a result, patients may miss out on treatments that could save them

from pain and even stop damage from arthritis, he said.

Dr. Treuhaft, another Toledo rheumatologist, said the long waits

are frustrating to him because he knows how beneficial the new therapies

are.

" The drug treatments available in just the last few years are better

than anything we’ve seen in history, and by and large we’re the ones

administering those treatments, " he said.

The demand for rheumatologists is beginning to increase salaries, but

that’s just making the problem worse in some cases.

For example, Dr. Farber said his group has been trying to recruit

another rheumatologist for more than two years without luck.

He said one recent candidate fresh out of training wanted a starting

salary more than he and his colleagues were making after decades of

experience.

Dr. mood, a Findlay rheumatologist, has felt the effects of

the Toledo rheumatologist shortage too.

In the last several years he’s seen more patients from Toledo. The

length of wait for new patients in his office is still pretty good -

about two to four weeks.

" I’m coming in Saturdays just to catch up, " he said.

Evidence of a shortage is everywhere, Dr. mood said.

" At our national meeting every year there’s a bulletin board where

people will put up employment notices [of practices or hospitals looking

for rheumatologists]. "

" There were three bulletin boards at the last meeting that were

completely full of notices " Dr. mood said. " I’m sure there were

several hundred notices. "