Overview

• Clemens Hoch presented a state action plan in Mainz to cut the time from first symptoms to diagnosis for people with rheumatic diseases.
• The state will fund one additional rheumatology training post per year for three years at five clinics, with a total budget of about €1 million.
• A telemedicine pilot called Tele-Rheumaplus will expand from an initial site in Gebhardshain to four practices in Koblenz, Manderscheid, Schopp and Bad Dürkheim, linking GPs with Mainz rheumatologists via regular case conferences.
• Medical students will be able to choose a 16‑week rheumatology elective in the practical year at Universitätsmedizin Mainz starting in the winter semester 2025/26.
• An estimated 800,000 residents have rheumatic conditions in the state, including about 120,000 with inflammatory disease and roughly 20,000 children, while experts warn of too few specialists and diagnosis delays that can stretch from one to seven years.