The Rheumatologist reporter Vanessa Caceres writes on ways that rheumatologists can collaborate with orthopedic surgeons to optimize patient outcomes.

Michael L. Parks, MD, hip and knee surgeon at HSS, explains that rheumatologists and orthopedic surgeons may collaborate under varied circumstances, but the most common scenario is for a patient under rheumatologic care on maximal medical therapy who is still not fully controlled.

Also part of the Integrative Rheumatology and Orthopedics Center at HSS, Dr. Parks says that "historically, patients with rheumatoid arthritis were challenging medically and needed to be followed more closely".

"Now, with the excellent treatment available with many medications, patients are not as likely as they were in the past to present with destructive arthritis requiring surgery," he adds.

Read the full article at The-Rheumatologist.org.