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The NIH Report: “Enhancing NIH Research on Autoimmune Disease”
May 2022 Report This May 2022 549-page NIH report represents a significant breakthrough in autoimmune research focus. Its recommendations have major downstream implications for CDC statistics, basic research, R&D, medical education & clinical guidelines. Funded and launched in 2019, before the pandemic but even more relevant since COVID-19 spotlighted post-viral
Siloed Specialties & Treatments for Autoimmune Diseases
Autoimmune Diseases are Siloed by Specialty Click the arrows next to the slide to view the sources. Looks a mess, doesn’t it? It is! Autoimmune diseases are scattered across many different medical specialties, creating a siloed landscape in which patients must coordinate and navigate for themselves. This illustration maps high-prevalence
The Chronic Disease Epidemic: Visible & Invisible
The Visible Chronic Disease Epidemic Click the arrows next to the slide to view the sources. The chronic disease population has grown substantially in recent years since modern medicine has extended the human lifespan. Depending on sources, 40-60% of Americans (128-140M people) have one or more chronic health conditions. Moreover,
A Patient Journey Solution (Part 3): Digitally Enabled V1C
A solution to convoluted autoimmune patient journeys?
Digitally enabled, virtual first care (V1C) offers a potential solution to convoluted autoimmune patient journeys. V1C especially offers significant advantages for autoimmune and inflammatory disease (AIID) patients in accessing specialized care. Virtual specialist practices get patients to a rheumatologist or gastroenterologist much faster (days rather than months) and with less
The Autoimmune Patient Journey (Part 2)
A Deeper Dive into the Loops
Many Convoluted Stages Along AIID Patient Journeys The convoluted journey of patients with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases (AIIDs) has many stages. Each stage presents challenges that may cause patients to drop out before they get the care they need. Unlike cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, there are no population screening
Long and Frustrating Autoimmune Patient Journeys (Part 1)
Slow & Uncoordinated Path to Diagnosis & Treatment Today, autoimmune patient journeys are typically long, convoluted, and frustrating; from first awareness of symptoms to scheduling medical visits, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term care. Since many autoimmune & inflammatory diseases (AIIDs) emerge in youth or middle age and last a lifetime, the
Specialty Pharmaceuticals: The Highest Autoimmune Cost
Invisible Epidemic of Autoimmune Disease As we continue to illuminate the hidden costs of the long-ignored epidemic of autoimmune disease (AIID), we must shine a light on the highest autoimmune cost: Specialty pharmaceuticals. Current data largely underestimate total AIID costs, and accurate numbers are few and far between. Through our
The Total Cost Burden of the Autoimmune Epidemic
The Problem: We Don’t Really Know! The problem with estimating the total cost burden of the autoimmune disease (AIID) epidemic is that we really don’t know! A May 2022 NIH report validates our long-held belief that missing and inconsistent data for autoimmune diseases (AIIDs) are at the root of the
Five Medical Philosophies: What Are They?
We have noticed much confusion among our broad digital health/virtual-first care network about the definitions of conventional, lifestyle, functional and alternative medicine. To add to the confusion, each picks and chooses techniques from the others to incorporate into their approach. For more than a decade, our team has focused on
The NIH Report on Autoimmune Disease, Part 2: Enhancing Research
NIH Report Shows Why The AIID Epidemic is Invisible An NIH research report on autoimmune disease, published May, 2022, explains why, despite affecting more Americans than cancer, autoimmune and immunoinflammatory diseases (AIIDs) remain an invisible epidemic. Autoimmunity is an orphaned research field of patchwork studies of some 80-150 individual diseases.
The NIH on Autoimmune Disease: An Invisible Epidemic
A May 2022 NIH Report on autoimmune research makes clear why the AIID epidemic remains invisible & silent.