The Oregon Rheumatology Alliance is a non-profit patient advocacy group dedicated to the care and treatment of patients with rheumatic diseases. ORA was incorporated as a 501(c)3 in 2001.
ORA History of Advocacy:
Book Project: 2001 ORA Educates the Public on Arthritis
ORA purchased and donated 115 sets of arthritis education to public libraries across Oregon. The books, purchased from the Arthritis Foundation, were:
The Arthritis Foundation's guide to Alternative Therapies by Judith Horstman
Your Personal Guide to Living with Fibromyalgia
The Arthritis Foundation's Guide to Good Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis
The Arthritis Foundation's Guide to Good Living with Osteoarthritis
The Arthritis Helpbook by Kate Lorig, RN, Dr. P.H. and James F. Fries, M.D.
The Osteoporosis Book; A Guide for Patients and their Families by Dr. Nancy E. Lane
Oregon Coalition of Health Care Purchasers Affiliation: 2002
ORA became the first physician advocacy group to become a member of the Oregon Coalition of Health Care purchasers (OCHCP), which is a non-profit organization of private and public sector purchasers in Oregon and SW Washington. ORA helped educate this coalitions purchasers and insurance providers on appropriate arthritis coverage and care in health plans.
ORA Fellow Travel Scholarship: 2003
ORA secured a grant from Daiichi to be used over a five year period. This grant sponsored medical students and rheumatology fellows to attend ORA's bi-annual meetings, and visit with the head of the OHSU rheumatology fellowship program. This allowed fellows to visit Oregon and consider this state as their practice location. The program was successful in securing Drs' Mollie Thompson and Esther Hwang to Oregon.
Oregon Survey Research Laboratory (OSRL): 2004
ORA commissioned the OSRL to develop and conduct an insurance subscriber satisfaction survey. During the summer of 2004, OSRL administered 1800 surveys to arthritis patients in 24 rheumatology clinics throughout Oregon regarding patient satisfaction with their insurance coverage for rheumatic disease. The results were computed and the data was used to educate insurance providers, health care providers and the general public on the importance and influence of adequate and timely insurance coverage on the quality and care afforded rheumatic diseases. The conclusion was that the insurance companies need to reduce barriers to allow rheumatology offices to provide proper health care to their patients
For more information on how ORA continues to battle for access to quality care for rheumatic patients visit the "ORA Updates" and "Advocacy Articles" page of this website.
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Our Current Board of Directors:
Dr. Andre Barkhuizen
Dr. R. Peter Bonafede
Dr. Daniel Fohrman
Dr. N. Paul Hudson
Dr. Elizabeth Tindall
Dr. Cody Wasner
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CONTACT US:
Complete the adjacent e-mail form and we will send you more information about ORA. Please feel free to call us with any questions.
Phone: 541-653-8398
Fax: 541-683-0712
ora@efn.org
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Membership to ORA is offered to all board eligible or board certified rheumatologists and academic faculty rheumatologists in Oregon and Southern Washington.
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ORA hosts two meetings a year:
Post-ACR (Nov/Dec)
This is the largest meeting of the year. Members of ORA present highlights of important abstracts presented at the ACR National meeting.
ORA Annual Winter Business
and Scientific Meeting (Feb)
We have successfully presented this meeting for more than seven years, with a consistent attendance of at least 40 rheumatologists at each event. Here are a few examples of past speakers that have presented data. Each meeting agenda is available to view, just click on the dates below:
February 2011
Dr. Jack Cush, Baylor Research Institute
Dr. Ernie Brahn, UCLA
Dr. David Chernoff, Crescendo Bioscience
Dr. Betsy Tindall
Dr. William Maier
February 2010
Dr. Mike Davey
Dr. Con-Qiu Chu
Dr. Mickey Liebling
Dr. William Maier
Dr. Ajay Wanchu
Dr. Jim Rosenbaum
February 2009
Dr. Michael J. Ryan, University of Washington
Dr. John Goldman, St. Josephs Hospital
February 2008
Dr. Michelle Petri, John Hopkins University
Dr. Robert Wortmann, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Ctr.
Dr. Michael McClung, Oregon Osteoporosis Ctr.
February 2007
Dr. Edward L. Treadwell, Brody School of Medicine ECU
Dr. James E. Leggett, OHSU, Division of Infectious Disease
February 2006
Dr. John Sundy, Duke University Medical Center
Dr. Nancy Lane, Center for Healthy Aging, UC Davis
Dr. Michael McClung, Oregon Osteoporosis Center
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