Arthritis Patient's Bill of Rights
In the last few years amazing advances have been made in the diagnosis and treatment of arthritic conditions. However, it has become apparent that some aspects of the healthcare industry are not affording arthritis patients the same rights and privileges that are afforded other patients with serious medical conditions. For these reason we feel that an Arthritis Patient's Bill of Rights is needed.
1 Patients with arthritic conditions have the right to: timely and accurate diagnosis and with access to specialty care.
Increasingly, HMO's and other health care systems are restricting access to rheumatological specialty care. These systems act as gatekeepers and often may try symptomatic treatments without the appropriate diagnosis. Many serious arthritities such as rheumatoid arthritis may present in subtle ways and a delay in the diagnosis while the gatekeeper "tries something" may be harmful. The maximum window of opportunity for rheumatoid arthritis treatment is early in the course of the disease and delay in treatment may affect the long-term outcome.
2 Patients with arthritic conditions have the right to: information about their arthritis and about the options for their arthritis care.
Treatments for arthritis often depend upon the specific diagnostic category of arthritis. Also there are often several options for treatment for most arthritides, often involving different risks and costs. The patient should be informed about the specific type of arthritis and the various options. If the doctor is basing his treatment decisions on the insurance company preferred options or there are insurance company restrictions the patient should be informed of this fact.
3 Patients with arthritic conditions have the right to: all effective medications and therapeutic modalities.
There is an increasing tendency for insurance companies to structure their treatment based on costs. Often insurance companies demand that a patient "fail" more inexpensive therapies before they try the more effective, costly therapy. Patients may worsen during these trials of less effective medications or experience unecessary side-effects. Insurance companies may require a large co-pay for expensive medicines, effectively making them unavailable to patients. As an arthritis patient, you have the right to the most effective treatment just as a heart patient has the right to a cardiac bypass or cancer patient has the right to therapy to stop his cancer. It would be totally inappropriate for a cancer patient to be asked to fail less effective cancer chemotherapies before he was allowed to try the more effective treatment or to price effective therapy out of his reach.
4 Patients with arthritic conditions have the right to: full participation in work and leisure pursuits.
Patients with arthritic conditions should have an accessible environment The home and workplace may need special equipment and it should be considered part of the therapeutic program just as medication is. Patients should not have to "put up with" symptoms or disabilities because it "is just arthritis."