Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Low Muscle Density & Physical Function in Patients with RA

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

Low muscle density due to the accumulation of intramuscular fat has been observed in RA patients and is associated with higher disease activity. New research sought to understand the relationship between muscle density, physical function and strength independent of body composition, including such factors as total and visceral adiposity. The results: Compared with healthy controls, low muscle density in RA patients was associated with low muscle mass, excess adiposity and greater disability…

Silent Cardiac Impairment in SLE

Arthritis & Rheumatology  |  

Drug-naive, new-onset SLE patients, even those with inactive disease, are likely to have silent cardiac impairment, according to a new study by Guo et al. Cardiac involvement is the leading cause of death in patients with lupus, and the estimates of cardiac impairment in SLE range from 31–70%. Cardiac impairment can remain unrecognized until after autopsy. These researchers investigated the use of cardiac MRI to explore early warning signs of silent cardiac involvement in SLE and determine treatment timing…

Pfizer Plans to Increase U.S. Drug Prices in January

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters)—Pfizer Inc. said on Friday that it plans to hike U.S. prices on 41 of its medicines in January, after walking back its previous price increases this summer under pressure from President Donald Trump. The company said in a statement that the increases would be on around 10% of its drugs. Pfizer said…

Impact of Medicare Billing Changes Varies by Specialty

Will Boggs, MD  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The proposed collapsing of payment amounts for levels 2 to 5 evaluation and management (E/M) services by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) would have different financial impacts on different specialties, researchers report. “Specialists that tend to have more complicated and/or longer visits would lose money, and specialists that…

Walmart, Home Depot Adopt Health Insurer Tactic in Drug Copay Battle

Caroline Humer and Michael Erman  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters)—Walmart and Home Depot, two of the top 10 U.S. employers, have embraced a health insurance strategy that punishes drugmakers for using discount cards to keep patients from switching or stopping their medications. Large U.S. companies have started tightly managing how employees and their family members use these popular discount, or copay, cards…

What the Election Means for Rheumatology

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The 2018 U.S. midterm elections mobilized American voters, bringing more than 100 million people to the polls.1 It also brought the House of Representatives under the control of Democrats, while Republicans maintained control of the Senate, splitting the legislative branch between two parties. As the 116th Congress prepares to convene in January 2019, the ACR’s…

Quality Payment Program Year 3 Reporting Changes: What You Need to Know

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final rule for the Quality Payment Program (QPP) year 3 (CY 2019) on Nov. 1, 2018. Below, we have compiled a list of key changes to ensure MIPS-eligible clinicians are accurately reporting for CY 2019: New MIPS-eligible clinician types: Physical therapist, occupational therapist, qualified speech-language…