The Coalition of State Rheumatology Organizations was founded on June 9, 2003, and formally incorporated several weeks later. The initial development for this new organization began approximately 14 months earlier when several state society presidents met and discussed common concerns over issues that were impacting practicing rheumatologists around the country. Formal planning started after a second larger informal gathering of state society presidents occurred in the fall of 2002 and again discussions gravitated to the same topics.

Since its beginning CSRO representatives and officers have had the pleasure of assisting groups of Rheumatologists in many areas in the formation of new state societies and encouraging active societies to incorporate advocacy into their normal activities. As an organization, CSRO strives to achieve the following objectives:

• Promote state rheumatology society activities that advocate access to the highest quality medical care for Rheumatic disease patients with autoimmune inflammatory and degenerative diseases
• Assist state or regional organizations to become formalized societies and provide leadership on rheumatologic and musculoskeletal health issues through advocacy, awareness, communications, education, and sharing of research with respect to rheumatologic and musculoskeletal diseases
• Provide a network for state societies to exchange information regarding issues that pertain to the delivery of high quality care to Rheumatic disease patients
• Educate insurers, government officials, corporations and other entities of the impact and importance of Rheumatic diseases and Rheumatologic care when considering policy/procedural changes affecting that care
• Sponsor national, regional and individual state research studies of rheumatology care in the United States
• Provide a forum for its members or their state regional professional organizations to create and advance a rheumatologic and musculoskeletal health agenda at private, public, and political levels
• Collaborate with patient organizations, national & international societies and other public and private organizations whenever possible and appropriate in order to achieve the above stated objectives

The CSRO has also been active in:

• Educating legislators and their assistants in considering the importance of rheumatologic care during the drafting of MMA 2003
• Interacting with CMS officials during the ongoing implementation of the provisions of the MMA 2003
• Providing testimony to the AMA CPT committee regarding rheumatology access to CPT codes that more appropriately reflect the complexity of rheumatologic care and the treatment of Rheumatologic diseases
• Addressing concerns for the new wave of pharmacy benefit programs in various regions of the country
• At the national level, providing information to US Pharma regarding the development of a national Pharmacy benefit for Medicare beneficiaries.

The CSRO also held the first ever meeting for Rheumatology Practice Managers in September 2005. There were approximately sixty (60) managers in attendance. This has resulted in the managers forming their own organization as a subsidiary of CSRO. The name of this organization is NORM (National Organization of Rheumatology Managers) and their next meeting will be September 15 and 16, 2006.

In February 2006 the CSRO held the first ever Fellows Conference. The purpose of the conference was to educate Fellows on the opportunities in private practice of Rheumatology. There were forty (40) fellows in attendance and the reviews were excellent. The CSRO plans to do this on an annual basis.

CSRO and its member organizations want continue these and other activities that will enhance and improve the ability of rheumatologists to provide the highest quality care to their patients. We have accomplished a great deal in a very short period of time and yet there is much more that needs to done.