Use of rheumatology care and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) was low for veterans with inflammatory arthritis (IA), a recent study found. Although DMARD exposure was strongly associated with rheumatology care use, veterans in the general IA population living far from rheumatology sites accessed rheumatology care and biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs) less frequently than veterans living close to rheumatology sites. Provider encounters and DMARD dispensations for IA (rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis) were evaluated in national Veterans Affairs (VA) datasets between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2015. Researchers found:

• Among 12,589 veterans with IA, 23.5% saw a rheumatology provider.
• In the general IA population, 25.3% and 13.6% of veterans were exposed to a synthetic DMARD (sDMARD) and bDMARD, respectively.
• The distance between veterans’ homes and the closest VA rheumatology site was <40 miles (near) for 55.9%, 40–99 miles (intermediate) for 31.7%, and ≥100 miles (far) for 12.4%.
• Veterans in the intermediate and far groups were less likely to see a rheumatology provider than veterans in the near group.