RME Collaborative and the Endocrine Society Announce Partnership to Address Cardiometabolic Health Disparities in Rural and Underserved Communities

TRUMBULL, CT, February 12, 2021 — RME Collaborative and the Endocrine Society announced that they have entered a partnership to address the unique cardiometabolic health and education needs in rural and underserved communities.

Cardiometabolic diseases are a group of interrelated conditions that include cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, and hypertension, as well as metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In the United States (US), the burden of cardiometabolic disease is particularly alarming. In fact, one of every two American adults is living with one or more cardiometabolic diseases.

Together, coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and diabetes affect more than 120 million adults and are among the leading causes of death in the country. At the same time, rates of diabetes and obesity are on the rise (10% and 38% of adults, respectively). In rural areas, the prevalence of these diseases is even higher, and effective management is often complicated by factors such as limited access to care and preventive services, geographic isolation, transportation difficulties, and shortages of primary care clinicians and specialist physicians.

As the burden of cardiometabolic disease continues to increase in the US, there is growing concern that the workforce supply of specialists (endocrinologists and cardiologists) is inadequate to meet the demands. Although 20% of the total population resides in rural areas, only 9% of all physicians practice there. Rural areas continue to have a disproportionately smaller number of physicians and, within rural areas, distribution is inconsistent. As a result, rural patients have fewer visits to specialists and tend to rely more on primary care for management.  

RME Collaborative and the Endocrine Society recognize the myriad of challenges and are therefore joining forces to address the unique needs in rural and underserved communities. This partnership has two distinct goals:

• Expand primary care capacity to treat and manage patients with cardiometabolic disease
• Create awareness and education for specialists about the unique needs and ways to provide support and mentorship to clinicians who serve patients in rural and underserved communities

About RME Collaborative
RME Collaborative aims to support the professional and educational needs of clinicians caring for patients from rural and underserved settings by providing high-quality, evidence-based continuing medical education. Through strategic partnerships and planning, RME Collaborative devises educational programs that are tailored to the specific challenges of care in rural and underserved communities.

About the Endocrine Society
The Endocrine Society is a global community of 18,000 physicians and scientists who are dedicated to accelerating scientific breakthroughs and improving patient health and well-being. Their goals are to advance hormone research, achieve excellence in the clinical practice of endocrinology, broaden understanding of the critical role hormones play in health, and advocate on behalf of the global endocrinology community.