This was brought home for me today by two new surveys out today from Centocor and the GeneRAtions program. The surveys looked at 1,000 RA patients as well as 300 physicians to understand the human impact of disease on people's daily lives. People with RA:
- Felt feelings of sadness or depression on average every 1 day in 4
- Had difficulty with normal activities every 1 day in 3
- 90% indicated that RA impacted their ability to perform their jobs over the last three months
- 60% felt that their friends and family underestimated the severity of the disease on their lives
- 50% felt that their doctors did not fully understand the impact on their lives
"It's difficult to explain to people, even as a former Olympic athlete, why I sometimes struggle because of my RA. Many people don't understand how great the mental and physical challenges can be when living with this condition," said Joy Fawcett, Olympic gold medalist and retired member of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team. "I'm fortunate that in the 10 years since my diagnosis, education and treatment for the disease have improved, but we need to continue this momentum."
RA isn't a death sentence and can be treated with medication. Yet, in the interest of controlling costs, we make patients live through years of hell and prior authorizations just to get to the drugs that will help them be well (not just less sick). We see this trend play out in other diseases as well, notably diabetes and asthma. The pound foolish Medicaid plan or insurance company is happy to let the patient go for a $2,000-$5,000 visit to the emergency room instead of paying the $200 a month for medication.
Physicians need to focus on caring for their patients, not just treating them. And patients need to empower themselves to be well, not just less sick.
