Observational studyRheumatology international2026
Trends in DMARD prescribing by rheumatologists, NPs, and PAs among medicare beneficiaries, 2013-2023: an observational retrospective cohort study.
Observational study in Rheumatology international, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
To understand the roles of physician associates [PAs] and nurse practitioners [NPs] in rheumatology care delivery, we examined the pharmacoepidemiology of disease-modifying antirheumatic drug [DMARD] prescriptions among Medicare beneficiaries. The intent was to inform regulatory decisions, optimize prescribing, and better manage risk in older populations. An observational, retrospective cohort study of Medicare Part D claims from 2013 to 2023 compared rheumatologist prescribers with primary care providers (family practice [FP] and internal medicine [IM]) and with PAs and NPs. Trends in DMARD prescriptions and prescriber counts were reported as absolute numbers and percentages and presented graphically. Over the 10-year period from 2013 to 2023, 13 of the most commonly prescribed DMARDs in Medicare Part D claims were tracked. Methotrexate was the most frequently prescribed, followed by hydroxychloroquine. The share of DMARD claims by rheumatologists remained relatively steady (58-60%) during this period, whereas the shares for PAs and NPs increased. Expressed as unique prescriber counts, the trends are even stronger: in 2013, NPs and PAs represented 6.7% and 4.2% of DMARD prescribers, respectively, increasing to 19.2% and 8.9% by 2023, while the percentages of IM and FP physicians declined from 45.7% to 35.8% to 32.7% and 30.0%, respectively, during this same period. DMARD prescriptions for the Medicare population increased from 2013 to 2023, with NPs and PAs assuming a growing role in prescribing.
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Registered trials
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