Third-party, validated study compares specialty medication cost savings for Rheumission patients to benchmarked patient population using first-of-its-kind integrative rheumatology and lifestyle medicine intervention protocol.
LOS ANGELES (February 2025) – Clinical outcome study results show that a new, first-of-its-kind integrative rheumatology and lifestyle medicine care protocol from Rheumission, delivered in a virtual-first, five-specialist team care model setting for people with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, and/or Ankylosing Spondylitis resulted in significantly lower disease activity in 70% of patients, a 97% patient satisfaction score, and average specialty medication drug savings of $22,371 per member per year.
The findings are important because these three conditions account for $115B in expenditures per year, accounting for nearly 50% of the total direct costs for autoimmune spend per year. Autoimmune disease in the United States is estimated to affect 50 million people, 80% of whom are women. Autoimmune disease is larger than cancer, heart disease or diabetes in the number of US people affected.
In addition, for people diagnosed with the three conditions studied, the patient journey is long, complex, confusing and frustrating. The average time to diagnosis is 4+ years, and the average wait time for a rheumatology appointment is 6 months, with the most common treatment of specialty medications such as biologics, which make up most of the healthcare spend. Prior to diagnosis, patients are often sent between primary care, specialists, ER, urgent care and orthopedists, who each order duplicate labs, imaging and often misdiagnose before getting a rheumatologist to diagnose RA, PsA or AS. The time lost between symptoms and diagnosis often results in higher disease activity; an earlier diagnosis can prevent progression and lead to faster symptom control.
“These findings are an exciting first step to proving that integrative medicine and lifestyle medicine can spur the body’s own healing. This in turn means better results for patients in the short- and long-term: giving them more joy, lower symptoms, and hope for feeling consistently better throughout their life. From my own diagnosis journey to my healing journey to remission as an inflammatory arthritis patient-doctor, I knew that biologics and their side effects were not the only way to achieve remission in patients like me. I’m so excited that we were able to prove these successes in an early study and look forward to gathering more data and follow-on studies in the years to come,” said Dr. Micah Yu, MD, MHA, MS Founding Director of Integrative Rheumatology for Rheumission.
Study Details
The clinical outcomes study was conducted in partnership with Accorded, a healthcare actuarial firm based in San Francisco, CA. Rheumission’s patients all had a diagnosis of either Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis and/or Ankylosing Spondylitis, and had been in the practice for an average of six months (n=71). Accorded benchmarked patients with the same mix of condition diagnosis, biologics use, cost of care trend, mental health status demographics (age, gender) and geography using Merative™ (formerly IBM) MarketScan® Commercial Claims Database and compared the two groups’ outcomes.
Care plans are co-created with patients and include a mix of interventions including supplements, stress reduction, mindfulness exercises, anti-inflammatory diet, restorative sleep, gentle movement and exercise. Patients meet with their team of an integrative rheumatologist, lifestyle medicine provider, registered dietitian, autoimmune pain psychologist and care coordinator.
- Engagement: Patients had high levels of engagement across the multidisciplinary team, averaging more than 13 visits over 6 months with Rheumission providers. All patients received care from an integrative rheumatologist and lifestyle medicine provider. 62% received care from an autoimmune registered dietitian and 40% from an autoimmune pain psychologist. They were also supported by Rheumisson care coordinators, averaging 1 message per week via the Rheumission app.
- Outcomes: Patients reported 97% satisfaction with their providers throughout the Rheumission program. 70% of patients saw a significant decrease in disease activity as measured by the RAPID3 assessment after 90 days; 32% currently have low or zero disease activity and 15% are in remission without biologics. In addition, 88% of undiagnosed patients received a diagnosis within 50 days of their initial appointment with Rheumission.
- Healthcare Costs: The study compared biologics costs between patients enrolled with Rheumission and MarketScan benchmarked patients with the same diagnosis, demographic and geographic area. The cost savings break down into two groups:
- Segment 1: Avoidance of biologics use for one segment of patients who came into the practice as a new diagnosis or earlier stage diagnosis. Benchmark population biologics use is at 40% of inflammatory arthritis patient population and Rheumission’s biologics use was 7%, for a cost savings of $23,115 per member per year.
- Segment 2: Reduction or elimination of current biologics use after joining the Rheumission practice, for the second segment of patients who were mid- to later stage of their inflammatory arthritis. Benchmark population biologics spend is $73,840 per member per year. Due to lower or complete tapering of biologics drugs, Rheumission’s patients showed a biologics cost savings of $20,591 per member per year.
Both groups primarily used the Rheumission’s whole person care protocol to either avoid use of biologics, or reduce or eliminate their current biologics use. Rheumission’s program was delivered through telehealth appointments in coordination with ongoing interactions with the care team via in-app messages and features.
Rheumission’s protocol is grounded in evidence-based treatments that are validated by the American College of Rheumatology and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Rheumission’s program is the first rheumatology protocol to focus on biologics reduction by combining the two disciplines in combination with anti-inflammatory diet and mental health interventions to treat patients with a multidisciplinary approach within the same practice using comprehensive, coordinated care.