About me
Selected by area physicians as a 'Top Doctor' in Washingtonian Magazine.
Robert D. Bunning, MD, has directed the Arthritis Program at MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital since 1986. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Rheumatology.
Dr. Bunning has a traditional practice treating arthritis with additional expertise in the use of exercise therapy and the use of the rehabilitation team. His other clinical interests include gout, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and muscle disease. He has extensive experience in maximizing outcomes after total joint replacement using a rehabilitation program. Recent research interest includes pharmacologic treatment of osteoporosis.
Dr. Bunning is a past president of the DC Rheumatism Society, and served for three years on the Executive Committee of the Rehabilitation section of the American College of Rheumatology. He also served as a member of the Medical Board of the DC Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation.
Dr. Bunning has also been recognized by numerous media outlets and publications, including being named by Washingtonian magazine as an outstanding rheumatologist and Rehabilitation specialist, and by USNews & World Report, when his rheumatology program for three consecutive years was listed as one of the top programs in this country.
Dr. Bunning is on the clinical faculty of MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, and is a former chief medical resident of the MedStar Washington Hospital Center. He received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University and his Medical Degree from the University of Cincinnati.
Clinical areas of focus
- Arthritis
- Back Pain
- Gout
- Hip Pain
- Joint Aspiration
- Joint Injection
- Knee Pain
- Myositis
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Sciatica
- Scleroderma
- Shoulder Pain
- Sjogrens
- Spondyloarthropathy
- Sports Related Injury
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
- Trigger Point Injection
- Vasculitis
Conditions and procedures
Conditions I treat
- Acute Arthritis
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Anti Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies
- Antiphospholipid Syndrome
- Aortic Arteritis
- Arthralgia
- Arthritis
- Arthritis Of Multiple Joints
- Arthropathy
- Back Pain
- Behcet Syndrome
- Calcium Pyrophosphate Deposition Disease
- Cranial Arteritis
- Crest
- Crystalline Arthritis
- Cutaneous Vasculitis
- Dermatomyositis
- Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
- Enthesitis
- Erythema Nodosum
- Familial Mediterranean Fever
- Fibromyalgia
- Giant Cell Arteritis
- Gonococcal Arthritis
- Gout
- Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis
- Hip Pain
- Iga Vasculitis
- Igg 4 Related Diseases
- Inflammatory Polyarthropathy
- Isolated Central Nervous System Vasculitis
- Joint Disorder Of Multiple Joints
- Joint Effusion
- Joint Swelling
- Knee Pain
- Lupus Nephritis
- Macrophage Activation Syndrome
- Mixed Connective Tissue Disease
- Monoarticular Arthritis
- Myositis
- Neonatal Lupus Erythematosus
- Osteoarthritis
- Osteoporosis
- Periodic Fever Syndromes
- Polyarteritis Nodosa
- Polyarthralgia
- Polyarthropathy
- Polychondritis
- Polymyalgia Rheumatica
- Polymyositis
- Positive Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) Test
- Post Infectious Arthritis
- Pseudogout
- Psoriatic Arthritis
- Raynaud's Disease
- Reactive Arthritis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Sacroiliitis
- Sarcoidosis
- Sciatica
- Scleroderma
- Shoulder Pain
- Sjogrens
- Spondyloarthropathy
- Sports Related Injury
- Still's Disease
- Synovitis
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
- Systemic Scleroderma
- Tenosynovitis
- Tophus
- Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease
- Uveitis
- Vasculitis
Procedures I perform
- Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) Blood Test
- Biologic Therapy For Rheumatologic Diseases
- Joint Aspiration
- Joint Injection
- Non Surgical Management Of Osteoarthritis
- Trigger Point Injection
Insurance
MedStar Medical Group accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Medical Group, please call your insurance company.
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List of insurance plans we accept
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund) Innovation Health: Network Only Plus
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- CFBCBS BlueChoice HMO
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- CFBCBS Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)
- CFBCBS Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- CFBCBS (NCA) Indemnity
- CIGNA HMO & Network (HMO)
- CIGNA POS/Network POS
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- CIGNA Indemnity
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- First Health PPO
- FIRST HEALTH
- Tricare Prime
- Tricare for Life (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- MedStar Select (MedStar Associates' Plan)
- United Healthcare Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- United Healthcare Select Plus (POS)
- United Healthcare Choice Plus
- United Student Resources
- M.D. IPA (HMO)
- M.D. IPA Preferred (POS)
- Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- Aetna Worker's Compensation Network
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- United Healthcare Choice
- CIGNA HMO Open Access (OA)
- Network OA
- POS OA & OA Plus
- CIGNA EPO
- PPO and PPO Plus
- Choice Fund PPO
- CFBSBC Blue Preferred PPO
- HealthyBlue PPO
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Open Access
- BlueChoice Open Access
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- Innovation Health: Indemnity
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Innovation Health: PPO
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- Innovation Health: POS Plus
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA/HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- Innovation Health: POS
- Open HMO
- Opoen HMO Option
- Open EPO Plus
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- Choice POS & Choice POS II
- Innovation Health: Open POS Plus
- Open POS II
- Aetna HMO
- Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- Aetna Innovations: HMO & EPO Plus
- Aetna Better Health of Maryland
- Blue Choice Advantage & Healthy Blue (HMO, POS)"
- CFBCBS EPO
- CFBCBS Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)
- Cigna HealthSpring Medicare Advantage
- Kaiser MD Medicaid MCO
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice POS
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- Kaiser Permanente Select
- Kaiser Permanente Signature
- Kaiser Permanente Signature-Added Choice
- Kaiser PermanenteSelect-Added Choice
- Kaiser Virginia Premier
- Medicare Fee for Service
- Private Health Care Systems (PHCS) (PPO)
- UHC Community Plan of MD
- United Healthcare Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO, GEHA, Compass Rose)"
- UnitedHealthcare and AARP Medicare Complete Plans/ UHC Group Medicare Advantage Plans HMO, POS, PPO"
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Adv/Special Needs Plans
Videos
Education
Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Rheumatology
Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine
Fellowship Program: MedStar Washington Hospital Center (1983)
Residency Program: MedStar Washington Hospital Center (1981)
Internship Program: MedStar Washington Hospital Center (1980)
Medical School: University of Cincinnati (1979)
Hospital affiliations
News and publications
Kao C, Scalettar R, Bunning RD. Two Cases of Metallosis from Metal-On-Polyethylene Total Hips: An Emerging Problem. PM&R. April 2015 Volume 7; Issue 4; pages 447-450.
Nally E, Jelinek J, Bunning RD. Quadriparesis due to Lead Poisoning Nine Years After a Gunshot Wound with Retained Bullet Fragments: A Case Report. PM&R; April 2017 Volume 9; Issue 4: Pages 411-414.