Helping patients move again: How Virginia Rheumatology Clinic accelerates biologic access

Virginia Rheumatology Clinic is built around a simple belief: when patients receive the right treatment quickly, their lives can change.

Dr. Brinda Dixit chose rheumatology at a turning point in the specialty: the arrival of biologic therapies. Patients who had lived with severe pain, stiffness, swelling, and fatigue suddenly had treatment options that could help them regain movement and independence.

That is why medication access matters so deeply at Virginia Rheumatology Clinic. Every stalled prior authorization leaves patients waiting longer to move freely, work normally, play with children or grandchildren, or return to daily life with less pain.

The challenge: When access delays slow care

Before Forus, getting patients started on biologics required navigating a maze of phone calls, faxes, payer portals, specialty pharmacy follow-up, and manual tracking.

Once Dr. Dixit decided that a patient needed specialty medication, a member of the team had to begin the prior authorization (PA) process, monitor each step, follow up with payers and pharmacies, and keep the patient informed. That work consumed staff time, and the delays could be months-long.

Those delays had clinical consequences. Dr. Dixit typically evaluates a new therapy at a three-month follow-up visit. But if the patient had only started medication shortly before the visit, she could not meaningfully assess whether the treatment was working.

The team also spent valuable time closing communication gaps: calling patients for updates, chasing specialty pharmacies, checking payer requirements, and trying to understand where each prescription stood.

With Forus: A faster path to treatment

With Forus, Virginia Rheumatology Clinic has made medication access faster, more visible, and easier for patients to follow.

Once Dr. Dixit initiates the medication process, the practice can see whether a patient has been approved, denied, or needs another payer-preferred next step. That visibility keeps care moving and gives Dr. Dixit more confidence that patients will be on therapy when they return for follow-up.

That speed changes what happens at the next appointment. Instead of spending a three-month follow-up discovering that a patient only recently started therapy, she can evaluate whether the medication has had time to work.

That faster, clearer workflow has led to:

• Approvals now often come through in less than two days, compared with weeks in some cases before Forus.
• Average PA submission happens in under 24 hours.
• Patients receive real-time text updates throughout the access journey, reducing phone tag and repeated status calls.
• The practice saves about seven phone calls per patient journey across prescription status, cost, pharmacy, and assistance program updates.
• Appeal letters can be generated in seconds, with review and submission visibility in the Forus dashboard.

Fewer phone calls, more reassurance

For Georgia Bonney, Virginia Rheumatology Clinic's practice administrator and biologic coordinator, one of the biggest changes has been patient communication.

Before Forus, even a routine prescription update could become a long chain of calls. Staff had to explain the status of the prescription, whether the PA had been submitted, what the patient might owe, which pharmacy would fill it, and whether financial assistance was available.

With Forus, patients receive proactive text updates throughout the process, including when a PA has been filed, when it is approved, where the prescription is triaged, and whether the patient may qualify for a savings or assistance program.

A better experience for patients

Patients noticed the difference immediately. Dr. Dixit remembers patients coming in and saying they loved the new process. Some had previously been on biologics, then needed to switch medications when a therapy stopped working. They knew how slow and opaque the process could be. With Forus, they could see what was happening.

Patricia, a retired dentist, came to Dr. Dixit after feeling dismissed elsewhere. She had swelling, pain, skin symptoms, fatigue, and a patch on her knee that would not heal. Once she had a diagnosis and a treatment plan, Forus kept her updated from prescription to approval.

Another Virginia Rheumatology Clinic patient, Craig, had spent months struggling with mobility before finding Dr. Dixit. He had trouble getting out of his truck, walking upstairs, and staying active. Once he started the right therapy, everyday activities began to feel possible again.

A workflow the whole team can trust

For the clinic team, Forus has made prior authorizations easier to manage without losing visibility.

Before Forus, medical assistant Isabella Hollingsworth spent much of her administrative time faxing insurance companies, making calls, and trying to determine where each PA stood.

Now, when a patient starts a biologic or another medication that requires prior authorization, the team sends the prescription to Forus and follows progress in the dashboard. Isabella can track benefit verification, submission status, next steps, and patient support resources such as copay assistance and bridge programs.

The Forus analytics dashboard has also given the team a level of real-time visibility they could not pull directly from the EMR. She can see submission timing, time to fulfillment, utilization by drug, fill rates, denials, and what the practice needs to keep a request moving.

That visibility is especially important when a prescription is denied. Instead of calling pharmacies and payers to understand what happened, the team can see the denial letter and next-step options inside Forus.

For Georgia, who has spent years building expertise in prior authorizations, appeals, and exceptions, that shift was meaningful.

After watching the first denial journey through Forus, she was surprised by the speed and quality of the appeal support.

Helping patients get their lives back faster

For Dr. Dixit, Forus fits into a broader reality about modern medicine: prescribing the right treatment is only part of the job. Patients also need help getting access to that treatment. She sees Forus as technology that supports the human side of care, rather than replacing it.

For Dr. Dixit, that is the clearest measure of Forus’ impact: patients starting treatment sooner, staff spending less time chasing updates, and providers delivering the care they know patients need.

Supporting your practice

If your rheumatology or specialty practice is ready to streamline prior authorizations and help more patients start therapy, sign your practice up for Forus today or book a demo to learn more.