The ACR Collaborative Initiatives (COIN) department invites letters of interest from members wishing to help develop educational training for PCPs, NPs and PAs on Osteoarthritis. SUBMISSION DEADLINE:  Thursday January 31, 2019

Working Group to Improve Provider Team Education on Osteoarthritis
The ACR invites letters of interest from members who wish to serve on a working group to develop an educational intervention to educate provider teams on recognizing early signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA) prior to the onset of pain and stiffness. The working group will collaborate with the ACR Collaborative Initiatives Department (COIN) and other stakeholders to develop an online and in person training for provider teams, called Osteoarthritis Signs and Symptoms Team Education Program (OA STEP), to Equip providers with information for people at risk for or demonstrating signs of potential OA in order to support providers in taking action once OA is recognized.

Background
Unfortunately some people who need expert rheumatologic care don’t have ready access to it. Two of the most common reasons are a shortage of rheumatologists in certain areas and patients’ lack of adequate health insurance. The ACR seeks to create a way to provide educational opportunities for physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants on osteoarthritis signs and symptoms. The education sessions developed will be presented by fellows to the targeted audience.

The ACR COIN department issues this call for letters of interest to seek seven+ members to make-up/comprise/constitute the OA STEP Working Group. Working group members will be expected to participate in regularly scheduled conference calls, attend one face-to-face meeting (date and location TBD), and support reaching the objectives determined by the group.

Compensation
If you are selected to serve as a member of the COIN OA Step Working Group you will receive a $500 honorarium.

OA Step Working Group Timeline
Thursday, January 31, 2019 – Deadline to submit letter of interest to join Working Group

Late February 2019
The selected Working Group member(s) will begin work by discussing the scope of the project, serve as experts on the scientific validity of the proposed project design in the preparation and planning of content development.

March 2019 – September 2019
There will be a series of monthly conference calls and one in-person meeting during the ACR Annual Meeting to:

• Ensure cohesiveness and scientific validity in the content to be delivered by rheumatology fellows to non-rheumatology providers.
• Support the development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of course content.
• Develop and review content and ensure cultural competency, health literacy, patient perspective, and non-rheumatology perspective are all adequately incorporated.
• Work with an evaluator to select measureable indicators for the project and explore data sources to measure project feasibility.

November 2019
The Working Group will begin identifying volunteers for project review and implementation (including via a presence at the ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting).

January 2020 – April 2020
Review the findings of the course and determine further opportunities.

Get Involved
If you are interested in participating, submit your letter of interest by Thursday, January 31, 2019, to the Collaborative Initiatives department at COIN@rheumatology.org. If you have any questions, please contact Starla Blanks, Director of Collaborative Initiatives at sblanks@rheumatology.org or (404) 633-3777 ext. 108.