PARTICIPATION in the Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness (RISE), an electronic heath record (EHR)-enabled registry designed by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), significantly improves clinical care metrics, according to a study presented at ACR Convergence 2024. The findings highlight the transformative impact of RISE on practice-level performance for key quality measures.
Gabriela Schmajuk, University of California San Francisco, and team analyzed data from 81 U.S. practices caring for 339,745 patients who joined the RISE registry between 2015 and 2020 using data from pre-enrollment (via EHR data) and post-enrollment. They focused on six rheumatology-specific quality measures: osteoporosis screening, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) functional status assessment; RA periodic disease activity assessment; tuberculosis screening HBV screening; and RA low disease activity or remission. An interrupted time series analysis was performed to evaluate changes in practice-level performance before and after enrollment.
Performance improved across all six quality measures, rising within the first month after joining the registry and continued on an upward rise. The largest monthly increases were seen in RA disease activity assessments (+0.78 percentage points) and functional status assessments (+0.92 percentage points).
Practices with lower baseline performance showed the greatest improvements. The study addresses the potential of registry enrollment to enhance the quality of rheumatologic care.
Further research should explore the mechanisms through which the RISE registry drives these improvements.
Reference: Schmajuk G et al. RISE Registry Associated with Significant Gains in Quality Measure Performance: An Interrupted Times Series Analysis Before and After Participation. Abstract 1644. ACR Convergence 2024, November 16-19, 2024.
