Clinics are popping up
Through these new clinics, some collaborations have emerged. Dr. Garshick works closely with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which has a similar cardio-rheumatology program, run by Brittany Weber, MD, to exchange ideas, discuss challenging cases, and collaborate.
“There are a lot of clinics like us popping up across the country,” he observed. Every so often, he hears from other institutions that are interested in starting their own cardio-rheumatology programs. “They ask us: How do you start, what should we look for?”
It’s an education process for both patients and providers, Dr. Garshick emphasized. “I also think it’s a bandwidth issue. Many of our rheumatology and dermatology colleagues are acutely aware of the connection, but there may not be enough time at a clinic visit to really go in depth” with these dual conditions, he said.
NYU-Langone Health for the past several years has been holding a symposium to educate people on the cardio-rheumatology connection and treating inflammation in cardiovascular disease. This year’s symposium, held in conjunction with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is scheduled for April 28. For more information, visit the course website: nyulmc.org/cvinflammationcme.
“What we’re trying to do is help [other institutions] get that bandwidth” to adequately help and serve these patients, he said.
Dr. Garshick has received consultant fees from Abbvie and Horizon therapeutics and an unrestricted research grant from Pfizer. No other sources had relevant financial disclosures.