Impact Brief – September 2022

September is Rheumatic Disease Awareness Month (RDAM). In recognition of RDAM, the American College of Rheumatology’s (ACR) Rheumatic Disease Report Card returns this year, grading each U.S. state and the District of Columbia on how easy it is to live well with a rheumatic disease.

The 2022 Rheumatic Disease Report Card is a new report from the ACR and its Simple Tasks public awareness campaign that seeks to answer the question, “How well are states doing creating an environment for patients to live well with rheumatic disease?” This report serves as an update to the 2018 Rheumatic Disease Report Card: Raising the Grade on Rheumatology Care in America, which continues to inform and empower the public and policymakers to address the health care access, affordability, and lifestyle factors that impact the quality of life for the millions of Americans living with a rheumatic disease. States received letter grades according to their progress in impacting: (a) Access to rheumatology care, (b) Affordability of rheumatic disease care, and (c) Activity/Lifestyle factors that can ease the burden of rheumatic disease.

To learn more, visit www.RDAM.org.