Since Geisinger's Department of Rheumatology was founded, developing novel therapeutic approaches to and strategies for patient care has been a significant part of our scholarly activity, clinical care and fellowship training program. Through active collaboration with colleagues in primary care and Geisinger research scientists, the rheumatology staff is actively engaged in basic, translational and clinical research projects.

The multidisciplinary and collaborative nature of our research provides a rich environment for innovation. Though the research information listed on this site is not exhaustive, it does represent the breadth of the department's research projects.

Initiatives & Projects

Mobile DXA Program

Geisinger's Mobile DXA Program brings state-of-the-art osteoporosis risk assessment directly to the primary care site. Over 5,000 DXAs are performed yearly in the mobile program, which includes 20 different primary care sites throughout northeast and central Pennsylvania.

High Risk Osteoporosis Program (HiROC)

High Risk Osteoporosis Program (HiROC) ensures patients who are at high risk for fracture, or who have already sustained a fracture within a hospital, receive individually tailored treatments based on their preference and medical needs.

The Patient Centric Electronic Redesign (PACER)

The Patient Centric Electronic Redesign (PACER) project combines an office-based patient touch-screen questionnaire with specialized software to collect a world-class dataset on patients with rheumatic diseases. This allows patient-focused care as well as provides rheumatologists with unique and crucial medical information.

Services

Quality Improvement Team

The department's research projects are overseen by a quality improvement team that studies and institutes improvement in care delivery for either an individual patient or for a population of patients. This approach has resulted in numerous advancements, including a project using the electronic health record to improve the rate of flu and pneumovax vaccinations in patients taking immune suppressing medications and a project designed to improve access to care for patients with rheumatic diseases.