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News Releases
MARRTC Researchers Present at National Conference
Researchers from the Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (MARRTC) have been invited to speak at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP), November 6 - 11 in Boston.
The purpose of the scientific meeting is to improve the quality of care of people with arthritis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis or other rheumatic conditions.
Karen Smarr, Ph.D., psychologist and researcher at Harry S Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital and principal investigator of a MARRTC study, will present on the topic of "Improving Patient Outcomes: Implications for Rheumatology Practice." The session will cover the quality movement, implication for rheumatology, and offer practical strategies to improve the quality of care by using self-report assessments. Smarr will later moderate a session entitled "Sexuality and Disability: Moving Beyond the Limitations."
"Efforts by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve the quality of care have spawned the use of quality indicators as a reimbursement incentive for providers," says Smarr. "In response, the ACR has established practice guidelines for implementing appropriate quality indicators in rheumatology. Tools and methods to implement patient self-reports in clinical practice will be discussed to improve the quality and effectiveness of care for persons with rheumatic diseases."
John Hewett, Ph.D., and Marian Minor, P.T., Ph.D, MU researchers and principal investigators for MARRTC, will speak on the topic "Arthritis Treatments: Methods for Evaluating Information." Hewett and Minor will discuss with researchers ways to improve the quality of research design, statistical method, sample size strategies and calculations used in scientific investigations.
Hewett will later moderate Minor's session, "Research Mentor/Trainee Responsibilities: Making the Most of Mentorship." Minor will be speaking on the role mentors play in research and education.
The ACR and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals, a division of ACR, are professional organizations of rheumatologists and associated health professionals. The meeting draws about 7,000 rheumatologists and related health professionals from around the world, according to the ACR.
For more information, visit www.marrtc.org or www.rheumatology.org.
The Missouri Arthritis Research Rehabilitation and Training Center (MARRTC) was established in 1971 at the University of Missouri-Columbia Arthritis Center. MARRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (H133B031120) and is the only federally funded arthritis rehabilitation research and training center in the country.
As part of the MU Health Communication Research Center (HCRC), MARRTC's mission is to become a national leader in the areas of disability management and communication, improve the quality of life and promote independent living among people who have arthritis and arthritic conditions. MARRTC's core message is "Disability is everyone's issue."
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