Vaccines are often safe for rheumatology patients, but precautions may be needed, said Brian Schwartz, MD, at the 2019 ACR State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium…
Research into lupus treatments suffered a setback after the failure of anifrolumab in clinical trials. However, during the 2019 ACR State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium, Richard Furie, MD, outlined the possibilities of multiple new lupus therapies under investigation…
The popularity of natural dietary supplements has grown worldwide, with many adults using them to manage musculoskeletal conditions. But for RA patients, little is known about the risk of side effects and potential adverse drug interactions when taking these supplements with standard RA therapies. New research examined the supplement use patterns of RA patients…
An integral part of the rheumatology care team, social workers can address specific issues related to a patient’s overall wellbeing. Here are some insights into how rheumatologists can better partner with social workers as part of the interdisciplinary team to ensure better patient outcomes…
A recent study details the autoantibodies of patients with myositis, confirming most patients carry these antibodies. The results also describe how myositis-specific autoantibodies can be used to identify distinct clinical subsets of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy…
Using 2007–2016 data from NHANES, a nationally representative survey of American men and women, Chen-Xu et al. set out to estimate the current prevalence rates and decadal trends of gout and hyperuricemia in the U.S.
In August 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it would permit Medicare Advantage plans to use step therapy for Part B drugs, with a lookback period of just 108 days.1 On May 16, 2019, however, the CMS issued a final rule that extends the lookback period for Part B therapies to 365…
This year, the American Medical Association (AMA) convened its annual House of Delegates (HOD) meeting June 8–12 in Chicago to discuss emerging and public health issues. Among the many policies and practices discussed: two resolutions put forth by the ACR on behalf of ACR and ARP members, one concerning prior authorization and another concerning step…
On June 3, Steven C. Echard, IOM, CAE, relocated to Atlanta to begin his new role as executive vice president of the ACR, his third term with the organization over his distinguished career in association management. Since 2014, Mr. Echard has served as chief executive officer of the American Association for the Study of Liver…