New Research at ACR Convergence 2025 Demonstrates Impact of RISE Registry Data on Rheumatology Outcomes

CHICAGO – New research presented at ACR Convergence 2025 highlights how the Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness (RISE) registry—the nation’s largest collection of electronic health record data from rheumatology practices—is driving transformative improvements in quality, safety, and patient outcomes across rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.

The studies reveal that participation in and engagement with RISE not only elevates quality performance metrics, but also power real-world insights into treatment patterns, disparities, and emerging therapies.

Several abstracts using RISE data illustrate the registry’s broad research utility:

• GLP-1 receptor agonists demonstrates meaningful improvements in weight loss, pain, disease activity, and function among rheumatology patients, confirming the potential of metabolic agents in musculoskeletal health.
• Bone health in patients with gout using real-world U.S. data identifies opportunities for proactive screening and prevention of fragility fractures, a previously underrecognized issue in gout populations.
• Safety and medication management studies including Thirty Percent of Older Adults with Rheumatic Disease Receive High-Risk Medication and More than 40% of Older Adults with Rheumatic Diseases Are Prescribed Opioid Medications revealed persistent risks, emphasizing the need for monitoring strategies supported by registry data.
• Research into Sex differences in medication discontinuation in axial spondyloarthritis underscores gender variations in persistence and response to therapy, highlighting personalized medicine opportunities.
• Implementation-focused abstracts such as What Works? A Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research-Guided Exploration of Patient Safety in Rheumatology Practices showcase how RISE data guide patient safety improvements in clinical workflows.

New analyses demonstrate RISE’s impact on investigating equity and outcomes:

• Assessing for Racial/Ethnic Variability in U.S.-FRAXTM Performance Among Older Adult Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis in the United States revealed disparities in fracture risk estimation tools, prompting calls for model recalibration.
• Development of the American College of Rheumatology Implementation Guide for Integrating Patient Reported Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Quality Measures strengthens national efforts to systematically incorporate patient-reported outcomes into lupus care quality benchmarking.

“These abstracts collectively demonstrate RISE’s vital role as a data-driven accelerator of research and quality improvement across rheumatology,” said Christie Bartels, MD, MS, chair of ACR’s Committee on Registries and Health Information Technology. “We are excited to announce that the RISE registry vendor transition in 2026 will streamline national reporting and enhance data analytic insights and future innovation. This upgrade promises to amplify RISE’s impact on research and clinical care.”

Explore all RISE-related abstracts >

Media Contact
Teri Arnold
Director, Public Relations & Communications
tarnold@rheumatology.org
757-272-7002

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About the American College of Rheumatology
Founded in 1934, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) is a not-for-profit, professional association committed to advancing the specialty of rheumatology that serves over 10,000 physicians, health professionals, researchers and scientists worldwide. In doing so, the ACR offers education, research, advocacy and practice management support to help its members continue their innovative work and provide quality patient care. Rheumatology professionals are experts in the diagnosis, management and treatment of more than 100 different types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases.

About ACR Convergence
ACR Convergence, the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, is where rheumatology meets to collaborate, celebrate, congregate, and learn. With hundreds of sessions and thousands of abstracts, it offers a superior combination of basic science, clinical science, business education and interactive discussions to improve patient care and advance the specialty. For more information about the meeting, visit the ACR Convergence page, or join the conversation on X by following the official hashtag (#ACR25).