Does Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Care Provided in a Lupus Clinic Result in Higher Quality of Care Than That Provided in a General Rheumatology Clinic?

Clinical management of lupus in the United States: A claims-based analysis

OBJECTIVES

To understand the evaluation and management of patients coded with lupus in the broad clinical community in the United States.

METHODS

Claims data for diagnoses, procedures, medications, and physician specialties were evaluated for three lupus cohorts [lupus nephritis (LN), systemic lupus erythematosus excluding LN (SLE), and cutaneous lupus erythematosus excluding SLE and LN (CLE)] using the EVERSANA claims databases. Identification of patients was based upon the occurrence of lupus-specific codes, with the requirement that a single patient receive a lupus-related ICD code twice within a six-month period.

RESULTS

Using ICD codes, we were able to identify 28,372 patients coded with LN, 82,744 patients coded with SLE, and 13,920 patients coded with CLE, and subsequently evaluate the journey of patients in each group in the year before and after being coded as having a diagnosis of lupus. For the three lupus cohorts, the basis of diagnosis was not always apparent, as clinical features of lupus were not often obtained, autoantibody testing was not usual, biopsies were uncommon and subspecialty involvement was not routine. In addition, a significant increase in laboratory testing, non-lupus diagnoses, emergency department visits and cost during the year before receiving a lupus code suggested uncertainty in disease recognition. Nevertheless, these patients received two separate lupus coding events within a six-month period, supporting a sustained or repeated diagnosis of lupus by the evaluating clinicians. When compared, the three lupus cohorts differed with regard to frequency of laboratory testing, subspecialty care, skin and renal biopsies, and medication management. Moreover, there was an increase in the cost of care of patients coded with lupus compared to a reference patient population both during the year before and after being coded with a diagnosis of lupus.

CONCLUSION

The data present a comprehensive report of the care of patients coded as having a diagnosis of lupus in the United States, including those outside of specialty centers. Despite the unclear basis of diagnosis in some patients, evaluation and management of patients coded as having a diagnosis of lupus in the general care community does not closely follow the recommended guidelines set forth by professional societies.

Quality indicators and satisfaction with care in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Grading the quality of care in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and determining its relationship with care satisfaction may recognize gaps that could lead to better clinical practice. Eighteen quality indicators (QIs) were recently developed and validated for patients with SLE based on the 2019 EULAR management recommendations. Few studies have analyzed the relationship between quality of care and care satisfaction in patients with lupus. This was a cross-sectional study. We included patients at least 18 years old who met the EULAR/ACR 2019 classification criteria for SLE. We interviewed patients and retrieved data from medical records to assess their compliance with a set of 18 EULAR-based QIs. We calculated each QI fulfillment as the proportion of fulfilled QI divided by the number of eligible patients for each indicator. Care satisfaction was evaluated with the satisfaction domain of LupusPRO version 1.7. Spearman correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between quality of care and care satisfaction. Seventy patients with a median age of 33 (IQR 23-48) were included, 90% were women. Overall adherence was 62.29%. The median care satisfaction was 100. Global adherence to the 18-QIs and the care satisfaction score revealed no correlation (r = 0.064, p = 0.599). Higher QI fulfillment was found in the group with remission versus the moderate-high activity group (p = 0.008). In our study, SLE patients in remission had higher fulfillment of quality indicators. We found no correlation between the quality of care and satisfaction with care.

Implementation of the Treat-to-Target Approach in Psoriatic Arthritis and Its Outcomes in Routine Clinical Practice

Background Measuring disease activity in psoriatic arthritis using validated tools and treating to a target (T2T) is advocated. It improves quality of life and delays radiographic progression. In clinical practice, it guides therapy escalation to achieve better disease control. This study aimed to assess the real-life implementation of the T2T concept in daily clinical practice and the proportion of patients achieving the target of low disease activity or remission. Methodology In this study, a retrospective review of patients diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis having clinical visits from January 2020 to February 2023 was done. The proportion of patients in whom disease activity was monitored using the Disease Activity Index for Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA) 28 and Physician Global Assessment (PGA) and those achieving the target was calculated using SPSS version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results A total of 89 patients were included in the study after fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Overall, 56.2% (50) of patients were males and 43.8% (39) were females, with a mean age of 43.5 ± 14.5 years, mean disease duration of 6.6 ± 3.8 years, and mean follow-up duration of 2.8 ± 1.6 years. Of the study population, 43.8% (39) had axial involvement, 23.6% (21) had dactylitis, and 12.4% (11) had enthesitis. Skin psoriasis was present in 84.3% (75), 11.2% (10) had a family history of psoriasis, 19.1% (17) had nail changes, 1.1% (1) had uveitis, and in 94.8% (73) of patients skin psoriasis presented before arthritis. Overall, 97.7% (85) of patients were on conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs), with the most common being methotrexate in 77%, followed by leflunomide in 8%. Further, 34.8% (31) were using biological DMARDs (bDMARDs), with the most common being tofacitinib (33.7%), infliximab (28.1%), and secukinumab (24.7%) being other choices. Overall, 21.1% (18) of patients experienced adverse events with csDMARDs and 3.2% (1) with biological DMARDs. DAPSA28 was recorded in 44.9% (40), Psoriasis Area and Severity Index in 16.8% (15), and PGA in 100% of patients. Target of low disease activity (LDA)/remission was achieved in 50.6% (45) patients, as assessed by PGA or DAPSA28 cutoff. The LDA/remission target was achieved in 51.2% of patients taking csDMARDs, and 74.2% in those who were on bDMARDs. Conclusions It is crucial to measure the disease activity using validated tools and treat the patient to target for achieving better disease control and improved quality of life. Despite the evidence that T2T improves outcomes, it is not widely practiced in routine clinical practice.

Improving Outcomes of Pediatric Lupus Care Delivery With Provider Goal-Setting Activities and Multidisciplinary Care Models

OBJECTIVE

The present study was undertaken to evaluate high-quality care delivery in the context of provider goal-setting activities and a multidisciplinary care model using an electronic health record (EHR)-enabled pediatric lupus registry. We then determined associations between care quality and prednisone use among youth with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

METHODS

We implemented standardized EHR documentation tools to autopopulate a SLE registry. We compared pediatric Lupus Care Index (pLCI) performance (range 0.0-1.0; 1.0 representing perfect metric adherence) and timely follow-up 1) before versus during provider goal-setting activities and population management, and 2) in a multidisciplinary lupus nephritis versus rheumatology clinic. We estimated associations between pLCI and subsequent prednisone use adjusted for time, current medication, disease activity, clinical features, and social determinants of health.

RESULTS

We analyzed 830 visits by 110 patients (median 7 visits per patient [interquartile range 4-10]) over 3.5 years. The provider-directed activity was associated with improved pLCI performance (adjusted β 0.05 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.01, 0.09]; mean 0.74 versus 0.69). Patients with nephritis in multidisciplinary clinic had higher pLCI scores (adjusted β 0.06 [95% CI 0.02, 0.10]) and likelihood of timely follow-up than those in rheumatology (adjusted relative risk [RR] 1.27 [95% CI 1.02, 1.57]). A pLCI score of ≥0.50 was associated with 0.72-fold lower adjusted risk of subsequent prednisone use (95% CI 0.53, 0.93). Minoritized race, public insurance, and living in areas with greater social vulnerability were not associated with reduced care quality or follow-up, but public insurance was associated with higher risk of prednisone use.

CONCLUSION

Greater attention to quality metrics is associated with better outcomes in childhood SLE. Multidisciplinary care models with population management may additionally facilitate equitable care delivery.

Does higher quality of care in systemic lupus erythematosus translate to better patient outcomes?

PURPOSE

To assess if high quality of care (QOC) in SLE results in improved outcomes of quality of life (QOL) and non-routine health care utilization (HCU).

METHODS

One hundred and forty consecutive SLE patients were recruited from the Rheumatology clinic at an academic center. Data on QOC and QOL were collected along with demographics, socio-economic, and disease characteristics at baseline. LupusPRO assessing health-related (HR) QOL and non (N)HRQOL was utilized. Follow up QOL and HCU were collected prospectively at 6 months. High QOC was defined as those meeting ≥80% of the eligible quality indicators. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed with QOC and high QOC as independent variables and HRQOL and NHRQOL as dependent variables at baseline and follow up. Multivariable models were adjusted for demographics and disease characteristics. Secondary outcomes included non-routine HCU and disease activity at follow up.

RESULTS

Baseline and follow up data on 140 and 94 patients, respectively, were analyzed. Mean (SD) performance rate (QOC) was 78.6 (13.4) with 52% patients in the high QOC group. QOC was associated with better NHRQOL at baseline and follow up but not with HRQOL. Of all the NHRQOL domains, QOC was positively associated with treatment satisfaction. QOC or high QOC were not associated with non-routine HCU and were instead associated with higher disease activity at follow up.

CONCLUSION

Higher QOC predicted better NHRQOL by directly impacting treatment satisfaction in SLE patients in this cohort. Higher QOC, however, was not associated with HRQOL, HCU, or improvement in disease activity at follow up.

Structural and health system determinants of health outcomes in systemic lupus erythematosus: Understanding the mechanisms underlying health disparities

Chronic diseases are increasingly responsible for the burden of health outcomes across the world. However, there is also increasing recognition that patterns of chronic disease outcomes (e.g., mortality, quality of life, etc.) have inequities across race, gender, and socioeconomic groups that cannot be solely attributed to these determinants. There is a need for an organizing framework which centers fundamental causes of health disparities that may better guide future work in centering these mechanisms and moving beyond acknowledgment of health disparities. In this paper, we synthesize several concepts from health disparities literature into a conceptual framework for understanding the interplay of patients' lived experiences, the health care system and structural determinants. Our framework suggests that (1) structural factors influence the health care system, the patient, the health care provider, and the provider-patient relationship through process of subordination and (2) that structurally competent actions are critical to reducing health inequities. The addition of subordination to theoretical frameworks involving health equity and social determinants of health, along with engagement with concepts of structural competency suggest several systems level changes to improve health outcomes.

Association of clinic setting with quality indicator performance in systemic lupus erythematosus: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Healthcare quality for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a modifiable target for improving patient outcomes. We aimed to assess the quality of care processes in different clinic settings, comparing a subspecialty lupus clinic with hospital-based and private general rheumatology clinics.

METHODS

Patients with SLE (n = 258) were recruited in 2016 from a subspecialty lupus clinic (n = 147), two hospital general rheumatology clinics (n = 56) and two private rheumatology clinics (n = 55). Data were collected from medical records and patient questionnaires. Quality of care was assessed using 31 validated SLE quality indicators (QI) encompassing diagnostic work-up, disease and comorbidity assessments, drug monitoring, preventative care and reproductive health. Per-QI performance was measured as a percentage of patients that met the QI relative to the number of patients eligible. Per-patient QI performance was calculated as a percentage of QIs met relative to the number of eligible QIs for each patient. Per-QI and per-patient QI performance were compared between the three clinic settings, and multiple regression performed to adjust for sociodemographic, disease and healthcare factors.

RESULTS

Per-QI performance was generally high across all clinic settings for diagnostic work-up, comorbidity assessment, lupus nephritis, drug monitoring, prednisolone taper, osteoporosis and pregnancy care. Median [IQR] per-patient performance on eligible QIs was higher in the subspeciality lupus clinic (66.7% [57.1-74.1]) than the hospital general rheumatology (52.7% [47.5-58.1]) and private rheumatology (50.0% [42.9-60.9]) clinics (p <0.001) and the difference remained significant after multivariable adjustment. The subspecialty lupus clinic recorded higher per-QI performance for documentation of disease activity, disease damage, cardiovascular risk factor and drug toxicity assessments, pre-immunosuppression hepatitis and tuberculosis screening, new medication counselling, vaccinations, sun avoidance education and contraception counselling.

CONCLUSIONS

SLE patients managed in a subspecialty lupus clinic recorded higher per-patient QI performance compared to hospital general rheumatology and private rheumatology clinics, in part related to better documentation on certain QIs.

Multidisciplinary Lupus Nephritis Clinic Reduces Time to Renal Biopsy and Improves Care Quality

Objective

Patients with lupus nephritis (LN) have a 26‐fold higher mortality rate compared with their peers. Kidney biopsy, the gold standard diagnostic method for LN, may have an average wait time of more than 50 days. Other gaps in quality process measures during LN visits have also been reported. A subspecialty multidisciplinary clinic (MDC) can provide better care and quality in LN; therefore, we aimed to examine how an LN MDC impacted time to biopsy, time to treatment, and other quality measures.

Methods

We included all validated patients with LN who underwent diagnostic kidney biopsies between the 2011 to 2017 pre‐MDC period and the 2018 to 2020 post‐MDC period. We compared time to biopsy and treatment and quality measures between the two periods and examined factors associated with timely LN diagnosis, defined as a biopsy within 21 days.

Results

During the pre‐ and post‐MDC periods, 53 and 21 patients with LN underwent a diagnostic biopsy, respectively. We found a decrease in the median time to biopsy from 26 days to 16 days after starting the LN clinic (P = 0.014). Beyond clinical factors, the presence of social factors, such as being of a non‐White race and having food insecurity, were associated with 54% lower odds of timely diagnosis (adjusted Hazards Ratio [aHR] = 0.46; 95% confidence interval: 0.22‐0.93; P = 0.031). We found higher odds of quality measure performance during the post‐ versus pre‐MDC period.

Conclusion

Wait times to diagnose LN decreased by 40% and higher quality measure performance was noted after establishing an LN MDC. Systemic and social barriers predicted delays in diagnosis that may be addressed by MDCs.

Treatment of Childhood-onset Proliferative Lupus Nephritis in the 21st Century: A Call to Catch Up With the Evidence

Proliferative lupus nephritis (PLN) is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and kidney failure, especially in childhood-onset PLN (cPLN). Therefore, it is important to treat it promptly and aggressively, while being cognizant of the risk-benefit ratio and side effects of therapies.

Relationship between care model and disease activity states and health-related quality of life in systemic lupus erythematosus patients

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether the care model (comprehensive vs regular) has any impact on the clinical outcomes of systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

METHODS

Between August 2019 and January 2020, we evaluated SLE patients being cared for at two Peruvian hospitals to define the impact of care model on disease activity state and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Disease activity was ascertained with the SLEDAI-2K and the Physician Global Assessment (PGA) which allows to define Lupus Low Disease Activity State (LLDAS) and Remission. HRQoL was measured with the LupusQoL. The association between care model and disease activity (Remission and LLDAS) state was examined using a binary logistic regression model. The association with HRQoL was examined with a linear regression model. All multivariable analyses were adjusted for possible confounders.

RESULTS

266 SLE patients were included, 227 from the comprehensive care model and 39 from the regular care model. The regular care model was associated with a lower probability of achieving remission (OR 0.381; CI: 95% 0.163-0.887) and LLDAS (OR 0.363; CI: 95% 0.157-0.835). Regular care was associated with a better HRQoL in two domains (pain and emotional health). We found no association between the care model and the other HRQoL domains.

CONCLUSION

A comprehensive care model was associated with the probability of achieving remission and LLDAS but had no apparent impact on the patients' HRQoL.

Pneumococcal Vaccination Among Lupus Patients: Who Are the Recipients?

PURPOSE

Pneumococcal vaccination (PV) is indicated for the elderly (age ≥65 years) and those with chronic disease or who are immunosuppressed. We aimed to study the rate and predictors of recommendation/receipt of 23 valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) in immunosuppressed systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients.

METHODS

Data were obtained through self-report questionnaires and medical chart review of 150 SLE patients. Information on rheumatologist recommendation or receipt of PPSV23 in the preceding 5 years was collected if self-reported in a questionnaire or documented in the medical chart. Chart review was also done to collect data on patient demographics, physician characteristics (if patients had a primary care physician and rheumatologist's SLE patient volume), and the disease characteristics of SLE. Comparisons using χ2 or t tests and logistic regression analyses were conducted for predictors of recommendation/receipt of PV.

RESULTS

The mean (SD) age was 47.4 (15.9) years; 90% were women. Sixty-five of 94 eligible patients for PV (based on immunosuppressive medications use or age) had been either recommended or administered PPSV23. On univariate logistic regression analysis, age, duration of disease, current use of hydroxychloroquine or mycophenolate, and rheumatologist's SLE patient volume were significant correlates of recommendation/receipt of PPSV23. However, on multivariate analysis, the only significant predictor was rheumatologist's SLE patient volume after adjusting for the above correlates such that with every 50 patients increase in SLE patient clinic volume, the odds of recommendation/receipt of PPSV23 increased by 2.37 times.

CONCLUSIONS

The volume of lupus patients that rheumatologists see is strongly associated with the likelihood that their SLE patients will have PPSV23 recommended and delivered, suggesting a volume outcome relationship.

Factors Associated With Variation in Pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Care Delivery

Objective

Patients with pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus (pSLE) and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) receive only a fraction of recommended care. Using published quality indicators and guidelines, we developed a 13‐item pediatric lupus care index (p‐LuCI) to quantify the proportion of recommended clinical evaluations and comorbidity prevention interventions completed and the timeliness of follow‐up. Our objective was to assess baseline index performance and identify sources of p‐LuCI variation.

Methods

We performed a cross‐sectional study in patients with pSLE or MCTD and analyzed the performance of individual p‐LuCI process metrics and calculated the overall p‐LuCI score. We identified factors associated with the p‐LuCI using multivariable linear regression with clustering by provider.

Results

For 110 patients (99 with pSLE and 11 with MCTD), the median p‐LuCI was 65.2% (interquartile range: 9.1‐92.3%). Component performance ranged from 27.3% (on‐time scheduling) to 95.4% (steroid‐sparing treatment). Patients with p‐LuCI scores above the median had higher scores across all 13 components. Higher p‐LuCI scores were independently associated with disease‐modifying antirheumatic drug use (β = 14.3 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.5‐27.2]), nephritis (β = 10.4 [95% CI, 5.1‐15.8]), higher provider pSLE/MCTD volume (β = 3.1 [95% CI, 1.9‐4.2] per patient), assignment to rheumatology fellow trainee (β = 36.3 [95% CI, 17.3‐55.2]), and disease duration of less than 1 year (β = 12.6 [95% CI, 0.7‐24.5]). Differences by race, ethnicity, and/or insurance were not observed.

Conclusion

Using an index of recommended pSLE care metrics, we identified significant variation in performance by disease, treatment, and provider characteristics. The p‐LuCI may be useful to assess care quality at the patient, provider, and practice levels and to identify areas in need of greater standardization.

Health care practitioners' confidence assessing lupus-related rashes in patients of color

Background: Patients with skin of color (P-SOC) are disproportionately burdened by lupus and often have worse disease outcomes than white patients. This is partly because educational materials underrepresent P-SOC, thereby promoting unconscious bias and clinical deficiencies among practitioners.Purpose: We sought to measure providers' confidence in diagnosing the cutaneous manifestations of lupus (i.e., lupus-related rashes) in P-SOC and to assess which factors influenced their confidence.Research Design: We created and distributed a survey that gathered information about participants' personal characteristics, clinical specialty, training, and current practice as well as measuring their confidence assessing lupus-related rashes in various skin tones.Study Sample: Practitioners from the fields of rheumatology, dermatology, and internal medicine in the greater St. Louis area (Missouri, USA) participated in the survey.Analysis: We compared practitioners' mean confidence levels assessing lupus-related rashes in patients with fair skin and P-SOC with a linear mixed effects model and used univariate and multivariate linear regression models to determine if the aforementioned factors correlated with confidence.Results: Participants' mean confidence in diagnosing lupus-related rashes in P-SOC was significantly lower than assessing such findings in patients with fair skin (p = .009). Several factors correlated with confidence level at a univariate level; however, the multivariate model revealed experience as the only factor significantly associated with confidence (p = .001). Conclusions: Providers report significantly less confidence assessing lupus-related rashes in P-SOC than in patients with fair skin. Our analysis demonstrates that experience positively correlates with confidence and suggests that interventions which enhance practitioners' exposure to and experience with these rashes in P-SOC can improve clinical confidence as well as patient outcomes.

Avoidable Acute Care Use for Vaccine-Preventable Illnesses Among Medicaid Beneficiaries With Lupus

OBJECTIVE

Nearly 25% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are hospitalized yearly, often for outcomes that may have been avoided if patients had received sustained outpatient care. We examined acute care use for vaccine-preventable illnesses to determine sociodemographic contributors and modifiable predictors.

METHODS

Using US Medicaid claims from 29 states (2000-2010), we identified adults (18-65 years) with prevalent SLE and 12 months of enrollment prior to the first SLE code (index date) to identify baseline data. We defined acute care use for vaccine-preventable illnesses as emergency department (ED) or hospital discharge diagnoses for influenza, pneumococcal disease, meningococcal disease, herpes zoster, high-grade cervical dysplasia/cervical cancer, and hepatitis B after the index date. We estimated the incidence rate of vaccine-preventable illnesses and used Cox regression to assess risk (with hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals) by sociodemographic factors and health care utilization, adjusting for vaccinations, comorbidities, and medications.

RESULTS

Among 45,654 Medicaid beneficiaries with SLE, <10% had billing claims for vaccinations. There were 1,290 patients with ≥1 ED visit or hospitalization for a vaccine-preventable illness (6.6 per 1,000 person-years); 93% of events occurred in unvaccinated patients. Patients who were Black compared to White had 22% higher risk. Greater outpatient visits were associated with lower risk.

CONCLUSION

Medicaid beneficiaries with SLE who are not vaccinated are at risk for potentially avoidable acute care use for vaccine-preventable illnesses. Racial disparities were noted, with a higher risk among Black patients compared to White patients. Greater outpatient use was associated with reduced risk, suggesting that access to ambulatory care may reduce avoidable acute care use.

BSR guideline on the management of adults with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) 2018: baseline multi-centre audit in the UK

OBJECTIVES

To assess the baseline care provided to patients with SLE attending UK Rheumatology units, audited against standards derived from the recently published BSR guideline for the management of adults with SLE, the NICE technology appraisal for belimumab, and NHS England's clinical commissioning policy for rituximab.

METHODS

SLE cases attending outpatient clinics during any 4-week period between February and June 2018 were retrospectively audited to assess care at the preceding visit. The effect of clinical environment (general vs dedicated CTD/vasculitis clinic and specialized vs non-specialized centre) were tested. Bonferroni's correction was applied to the significance level.

RESULTS

Fifty-one units participated. We audited 1021 episodes of care in 1003 patients (median age 48 years, 74% diagnosed >5 years ago). Despite this disease duration, 286 (28.5%) patients had active disease. Overall in 497 (49%) clinic visits, it was recorded that the patient was receiving prednisolone, including in 28.5% of visits where disease was assessed as inactive. Low documented compliance (<60% clinic visits) was identified for audit standards relating to formal disease-activity assessment, reduction of drug-related toxicity and protection against comorbidities and damage. Compared with general clinics, dedicated clinics had higher compliance with standards for appropriate urine protein quantification (85.1% vs 78.1%, P ≤ 0.001). Specialized centres had higher compliance with BILAG Biologics Register recruitment (89.4% vs 44.4%, P ≤ 0.001) and blood pressure recording (95.3% vs 84.1%).

CONCLUSIONS

This audit highlights significant unmet need for better disease control and reduction in corticosteroid toxicity and is an opportunity to improve compliance with national guidelines. Higher performance with nephritis screening in dedicated clinics supports wider adoption of this service-delivery model.

Use of Quality Measures to Identify Disparities in Health Care for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Assessment of quality of care for people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) provides opportunities to identify gaps in health care and address disparities. Poor access to specialty care has been shown to negatively impact care in SLE and is associated with poor disease outcomes. Racial/ethnic minorities and those with low socioeconomic status are at higher risk for poor access and lower quality of care. Quality measures evaluating processes of care have shown significant deficiencies in care of SLE patients across studies. High SLE patient volume correlates with better quality of care for providers in hospital and ambulatory settings.

Does healthcare regime affiliation influence the clinical outcomes of patients with rheumatoid arthritis?

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Adequate control of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) depends, to a great extent, on the access to a rheumatologist. This study aimed to compare the disease outcomes of patients with RA, based on their healthcare regime affiliation.

METHODS

A retrospective observational study of Colombian patients with RA in three outpatient services of different regimes: Contributory (CR, workers and their families with a monthly income above a yearly defined threshold, approximately US$ 220, who allocate a percentage of their income to financing the national health fund and to get access to healthcare services), subsidized (SR, a vulnerable population with a monthly income below the threshold, who have access to healthcare through the national health fund; comparable to the USA Medicaid population), and an excellence clinical care center (C3, access to specialized care, regardless of their healthcare affiliation regime). Data were collected from clinical records for 2 years of follow-up and included demographics, lag times between appointments, and time in high disease activity. We used the Mantel-Cox test for the analysis of time to remission/low disease activity.

RESULTS

A total of 240 patients were included (80 patients per regime). At the start of follow-up, mean age was 53.7 years; 21.6% of patients were men; 79.6% of patients had established RA; 72.9% of patients had high disease activity. Patients in the CR had longer lag times between scheduled appointments (p < 0.0001). During follow-up, SR had the highest proportion of patients with high disease activity. Survival curve analysis showed no significant difference between SR and CR groups (p = 0.2903), but was significantly different compared with the C3 group (p < 0.0001). Median survival in high disease activity was greater in the SR group (293 days), followed by CR (254 days), and finally by C3 (64 days).

CONCLUSION

Patients that were treated in the excellence clinical care center had better outcomes when compared with other regimes. These data support that healthcare regime may influence disease outcome in patients with RA. Key Points • Prompt access to healthcare in patients with rheumatoid arthritis is pivotal for an adequate control of the disease, for timely adjustment of treatment, and to reduce both the societal burden of the disease and its impact on individual well-being. • As an example of "structural iatrogenesis," healthcare regime affiliation appears to influence disease outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, in whom differences between regimes are observed. The most vulnerable patients appear to experience the worst outcomes. • Excellence clinical care centers for patients with rheumatoid arthritis should be implemented as an alternative to counteract structural healthcare barriers and as an approach to improve clinical outcomes through a tighter disease control.

Quality of Care for the Screening, Diagnosis, and Management of Lupus Nephritis Across Multiple Health Care Settings

OBJECTIVE

We examined quality measures for screening, diagnosis, and treatment of lupus nephritis (LN) among participants of the California Lupus Epidemiology Study across 25 different clinical sites to identify gaps in quality of care.

METHODS

Data from 250 participants with lupus were analyzed across 3 sources (medical records, physician examination, and patient interviews). Overall performance on 8 quality measures was calculated separately for participants with and without LN. We used generalized estimating equations in which the outcome was performance on measures, adjusting for participant demographics, lupus disease severity, and practice characteristics.

RESULTS

Of 148 patients without LN, 42% underwent screening laboratory tests for nephritis, 38% underwent lupus activity serum studies, and 81% had their blood pressure checked every 6 months. Of 102 LN patients, 67% had a timely kidney biopsy, at least 81% had appropriate treatment, and 78% achieved target blood pressure within 1 year of diagnosis. Overall performance in participants across quality measures was 54% (no LN) and 80% (LN). Significantly higher overall performance for screening measures for LN was seen at academic (63.4-73%) versus community clinics (37.9-38.4%). Similarly, among those with LN, higher performance in academic (84.1-85.2%) versus community clinics (54.8-60.2%) was observed for treatment measures.

CONCLUSION

In this quality-of-care analysis across 25 diverse clinical settings, we found relatively high performance on measures for management of LN. However, future work should focus on bridging the gaps in lupus quality of care for patients without nephritis, particularly in community settings.

2019 Update of the Joint European League Against Rheumatism and European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association (EULAR/ERA-EDTA) recommendations for the management of lupus nephritis

OBJECTIVE

To update the 2012 EULAR/ERA-EDTA recommendations for the management of lupus nephritis (LN).

METHODS

Following the EULAR standardised operating procedures, a systematic literature review was performed. Members of a multidisciplinary Task Force voted independently on their level of agreeement with the formed statements.

RESULTS

The changes include recommendations for treatment targets, use of glucocorticoids and calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) and management of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). The target of therapy is complete response (proteinuria <0.5-0.7 g/24 hours with (near-)normal glomerular filtration rate) by 12 months, but this can be extended in patients with baseline nephrotic-range proteinuria. Hydroxychloroquine is recommended with regular ophthalmological monitoring. In active proliferative LN, initial (induction) treatment with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF 2-3 g/day or mycophenolic acid (MPA) at equivalent dose) or low-dose intravenous cyclophosphamide (CY; 500 mg × 6 biweekly doses), both combined with glucocorticoids (pulses of intravenous methylprednisolone, then oral prednisone 0.3-0.5 mg/kg/day) is recommended. MMF/CNI (especially tacrolimus) combination and high-dose CY are alternatives, for patients with nephrotic-range proteinuria and adverse prognostic factors. Subsequent long-term maintenance treatment with MMF or azathioprine should follow, with no or low-dose (<7.5 mg/day) glucocorticoids. The choice of agent depends on the initial regimen and plans for pregnancy. In non-responding disease, switch of induction regimens or rituximab are recommended. In pure membranous LN with nephrotic-range proteinuria or proteinuria >1 g/24 hours despite renin-angiotensin-aldosterone blockade, MMF in combination with glucocorticoids is preferred. Assessment for kidney and extra-renal disease activity, and management of comorbidities is lifelong with repeat kidney biopsy in cases of incomplete response or nephritic flares. In ESKD, transplantation is the preferred kidney replacement option with immunosuppression guided by transplant protocols and/or extra-renal manifestations. Treatment of LN in children follows the same principles as adult disease.

CONCLUSIONS

We have updated the EULAR recommendations for the management of LN to facilitate homogenization of patient care.

Treat-to-target in PsA: methods and necessity

With increasing recognition of the high burden and impact of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and the growing number of therapeutic options, there has been an intensifying focus on treatment strategy in recent years. In 2015, the Tight Control of Psoriatic Arthritis study confirmed the clinical benefit of using a treat-to-target approach in PsA. This randomised controlled trial found benefits in both arthritis and psoriasis disease activity as well as lower disease impact reported by patients, although participants allocated to tight control experienced a higher rate of serious adverse events. European and international recommendations support the use of a treat-to-target approach in PsA and have offered specific advice on how to do this using outcomes such as the minimal disease activity criteria. However, implementation of this approach in routine practice is low, with real-world data highlighting undertreatment as a result. Recent qualitative work with physicians in the UK has helped researchers to understand the barriers to implementation of treat-to-target in PsA. We now need to address these barriers, provide education and support to non-specialist clinicians in routine practice, and aid the translation of optimal care to the clinic.

Reliability of Visual Analog Scale and Numeric Rating Scale for the Assessment of Disease Activity in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

OBJECTIVE

To determine the reliability of SLE patients' disease activity measurements.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study conducted (August 2016-December 2017) at 2 main public Peruvian hospitals, 1 with a comprehensive lupus care program. Patients assessed their disease activity with a visual analog scale (VAS) (0-100 mm) or a numerical rating scale (NRS) (0-4) before and after their physician's (MD's) assessment. Demographic and disease-related characteristics were recorded. Reliability of patients' disease activity before and after MD's assessment was determined using Spearman rank correlation. Factors possibly associated with this variability were examined with Spearman rank correlation and Mann-Whitney U test.

RESULTS

Two hundred forty, mostly Mestizo, SLE patients were included; mean (SD) age and disease duration (diagnosis) were 34.9 (12.9) years and 10.1 (7.0) years, respectively. The Mexican version of the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index was 1.9 (2.7), and the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index was 1.2 (1.5). The correlations between NRS and VAS before and after the MD's assessment were ρ = 0.839; p < 0.001; and ρ = 0.872; p < 0.001, respectively. Visual analog scale and NRS were higher before than after the MD's assessment (VAS 29.3 [26.5] and 26.5 [24.9], p = 0.052; and NRS (1.5 [1.2] and 1.3 [1.1], p = 0.003); only the comprehensive program explained this variability (p = 0.043). The reliability of VAS and NRS was ρ = 0.917 and ρ = 0.861, p < 0.001, before and after for the comprehensive program and ρ = 0.710 and ρ = 0.785, p < 0.001, for before and after for the regular program.

CONCLUSIONS

Both VAS an NRS are highly reliable. Patients scored higher before than after their physicians' assessment but that these differences were smaller for the patients in the comprehensive care program than in the regular one.

Drivers of Satisfaction With Care for Patients With Lupus

Objective

Quality of life (QOL) and quality of care (QOC) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remains poor. Satisfaction with care (SC), a QOC surrogate, correlates with health behaviors and outcomes. This study aimed to determine correlates of SC in SLE.

Methods

A total of 1262 patients with SLE were recruited from various countries. Demographics, disease activity (modified Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index for the Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus: National Assessment trial [SELENA‐SLEDAI]), and QOL (LupusPRO version 1.7) were collected. SC was collected using LupusPRO version 1.7. Regression analyses were conducted using demographic, disease (duration, disease activity, damage, and medications), geographic (eg, China vs United States), and QOL factors as independent predictors.

Results

The mean (SD) age was 41.7 (13.5) years; 93% of patients were women. On the univariate analysis, age, ethnicity, current steroid use, disease activity, and QOL (social support, coping) were associated with SC. On the multivariate analysis, Asian participants had worse SC, whereas African American and Hispanic patients had better SC. Greater disease activity, better coping, and social support remained independent correlates of better SC. Compared with US patients, patients from China and Canada had worse SC on the univariate analysis. In the multivariate models, Asian ethnicity remained independently associated with worse SC, even after we adjusted for geographic background (China). No associations between African American or Hispanic ethnicity and SC were retained when geographic location (Canada) was added to the multivariate model. Canadian patients had worse SC when compared with US patients. Higher disease activity, better social support, and coping remained associated with better SC.

Conclusion

Greater social support, coping, and, paradoxically, SLE disease activity are associated with better SC. Social support and coping are modifiable factors that should be addressed by the provider, especially in the Asian population. Therefore, evaluation of a patient's external and internal resources using a biopsychosocial model is recommended. Higher disease activity correlated with better SC, suggesting that the latter may not be a good surrogate for QOC or health outcomes.

Lupus education for physicians and patients in a resource-limited setting

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with a wide range of manifestations and potential to affect several organ systems. Complications arise from both disease and medications especially glucocorticoids, significantly contributing to overall morbidity and mortality. SLE predominantly affects patients during their prime productive years resulting in substantial economic burden on the patient, caregivers, and society due to direct, indirect, and intangible costs. This illness burden is compounded in developing countries with limited resources due to various disparities in healthcare delivery. Physician education and practical referral and endorsement guidelines adapted to the local setting reinforce continuity and coordinated care. Likewise, patient education, self-help programs, and shared decision-making are essential best practice in the clinics. Both physician education and patient education improve overall outcomes in chronic diseases like SLE. As a developing country with very few rheumatologists and/or lupus specialists, efficient healthcare delivery for most Filipino lupus patients remains elusive. We describe our experience in confronting these challenges through development of strategies which focus on physician and patient education. KEY POINTS: • Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with a highly variable course, requiring specialized, individualized, and coordinated care by a healthcare team. • Health disparities and limited resources significantly contribute to illness burden on the patient, family, and society. • Physician education on SLE must commence at undergraduate medical school, be integrated in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, and reinforced through specialized training in Rheumatology and related specialties. • Patient education and empowerment are integral to improving healthcare outcomes especially in a resource-limited setting.