The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has partnered with OpenEvidence to embed trusted patient education materials directly into what the companies describe as the most widely used medical AI platform among U.S. physicians, a collaboration announced at the ACR Convergence 2026 conference in Miami and Orlando, Florida.

The integration makes ACR's evidence-based fact sheets about rheumatic diseases and treatments automatically available to clinicians at the point of care, appearing alongside peer-reviewed literature when clinically relevant. The materials cover more than 100 types of arthritis and rheumatic conditions affecting over 53 million U.S. adults, including disease-specific information on conditions like gout and psoriatic arthritis, as well as treatment guidance on NSAIDs and biologic medications.

Bridging the Gap Between Evidence and Patient Communication

According to the announcement, the partnership addresses a persistent challenge in managing chronic rheumatic conditions: delivering authoritative, accessible patient education during clinical encounters. Many patients with arthritis and related diseases are managed by primary care physicians and specialists beyond rheumatologists, creating potential gaps in specialized patient communication.

"Rheumatic diseases affect millions of people worldwide, and empowering patients with accurate, accessible information is essential to improving outcomes," said William Harvey, MD, MSc, FACR, President of ACR, in the announcement. "By integrating ACR's trusted patient education resources into OpenEvidence's platform, we're ensuring that clinicians have the tools they need to support informed, collaborative care at the point of need."

Bilingual Resources Target Health Equity

A notable feature of the integration is the availability of materials in both English and Spanish, addressing health equity concerns for Hispanic and Latino populations who may face language barriers when accessing rheumatology care. The fact sheets are designed to support patient-clinician communication and shared decision-making for chronic conditions that often require long-term management strategies.

Dr. Vishal Patel, a rheumatologist and VP of Clinical Partnerships & AI Education at OpenEvidence, emphasized the practical impact: "Integrating ACR's patient education materials into our platform ensures that trusted, evidence-based resources are available exactly when and where they're needed most—during the clinical encounter."

Platform Reach and Accessibility

OpenEvidence claims its platform is used daily by the majority of U.S. physicians and is offered free to all verified U.S. clinicians. The ACR, founded in 1934, represents more than 10,600 rheumatology professionals worldwide and maintains an extensive library of patient education resources developed by specialists in the field.

The collaboration represents a growing trend of specialty medical societies partnering with clinical AI platforms to enhance the utility and trustworthiness of digital health tools, embedding authoritative content directly into physician workflows rather than requiring separate searches or resource navigation.

Sources

  1. American College of Rheumatology and OpenEvidence Collaborate to Expand Access to Trusted Patient Education Resources — BioSpace