What are examples of rheumatology quality measures that are both clinically meaningful and can be captured accurately and efficiently?
I can think of the following quality measures that I would recommend to practicing rheumatologists:
1. Screen every new patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for infection with the hepatitis C virus. There are at least a couple of reasons to do this: A) Hep C infection can mimic RA, often with a positive RA factor, and B) you would like to be careful about indiscriminately pushing MTX in a patient who happens to be infected with this virus. There is, however, a recently published article that says that in their experience the authors did not find enhanced viral replication when treating patients with MTX and Enbrel in the setting of hep C infection. However, I would still be careful if for no other reason, medico-legal concerns.
2. Do annual Quantiferon tests in patients receiving biologic therapy for the treatment of RA.
3. Order a TPMT (thiopurine methyltransferase) assay in patients about to start treatment with Imuran (azathioprine) and obtain a G6PD screen in patients who become candidates for the use of sulfasalazine (SSZ).
4. Consider obtaining a baseline HLA-B58*01 gene typing in patients about to start allopurinol. Patients who are positive for this HLA gene are at a much greater risk of allopurinol side effects, which can be severe. And always start allopurinol at a lower dose, e.g., 100 mg, as opposed to 300 mg daily.
5. Dose HCQ (Plaquenil) based on the recommendations emanating from ophthalmology and rheumatology societies. In other words, do not exceed 5 mg per kilo per day (current, not ideal body weight). I see patients all the time who are petite, frail, not overweight receiving 400 mg daily of this medication, and for years. This is overdosing, putting the patient at an increased unnecessary risk of premature retinopathy from this medication.