Spring 2018 (Volume 28, Number 1)
The AAC and CRA: Working Better Together
By Joanne Homik, MD, FRCPC; Christine Charnock; and Cheryl Barnabe, MD, FRCPC
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As a Member Organization of the Arthritis Alliance of Canada (AAC), the CRA and many of its members have contributed research data, experience and expertise to champion the efficient and effective delivery of inflammatory arthritis care in Canada.
CRA members have been balancing evidence and knowledge with the realities of limited human resources in rheumatology in Canada. Beginning with the development of a business case led by Drs. Bombardier, Hawker and Mosher, the magnitude of the growing burden of arthritis and how it could be mitigated by awareness, education, and future interventions was laid out. This created the pathway for a national framework to improve arthritis care in Canada, led by Drs. Bombardier, Mosher and Zummer, through early diagnosis and targeted treatment. Drs. Ahluwalia, Mosher and Zummer developed a toolkit and supporting documentation for the pan-Canadian Models of Care. CRA members from across the nation are now employing these new models of care to ensure the optimal delivery of arthritis care.
The CRA and AAC collaboration is also focused on ensuring quality of rheumatology care in Canada. Led by Dr. Claire Barber and pertinent to the activities of the CRA’s Optimal Care Committee, system-level performance measures for inflammatory arthritis have been developed. These measures can be used to reflect the impact of system organization and structure on processes that contribute to care outcomes. Performance measures and quality indicators at the individual patient-provider level are in development, and will provide quality assurance data to inform practice improvement.
Through these collaborative activities, the CRA and AAC fulfill their mandates, and ensure the delivery of high-quality and timely rheumatology care across Canada.
Dr. Joanne Homik, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine,
Division of Rheumatology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB
Ms. Christine Charnock, former Chief Executive Officer, Canadian
Rheumatology Association, Newmarket, ON
Dr. Cheryl Barnabe, Associate Professor, Rheumatologist, University of
Calgary, Calgary, AB
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