Hundreds of rheumatology providers across the country are finalizing submissions for the first year of reporting under the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). According to a presentation at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego, providers that participate in and submit through the Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness (RISE) Registry are poised to perform…
If there’s one thing America needs right now, it’s more money in politics. I’m being facetious, but I do want to ask all of you to invest in RheumPAC today. Given the relatively small size of our subspecialty, it is easy for lawmakers to overlook the consequences that laws may have on our field of…
The field of rheumatology is advancing fast—alongside communication technologies that generate a massive amount of information. Paul Sufka, MD, a rheumatologist with HealthPartners in St. Paul, Minn., is interested in the ways social media can help him and other rheumatologists stay connected and keep abreast of practice information. “One thing I see people doing too…
(Reuters Health)—The U.S. spends about twice what other high-income nations do on healthcare, but has the lowest life expectancy and the highest infant mortality rates, a new study suggests. More doctor visits and hospital stays aren’t the problem. Americans use roughly the same amount of health services as people in other affluent nations, the study…
In a Phase 3 study, ixekizumab proved safe and effective to treat adults with ankylosing spondylitis (AS)…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Patients undergoing total joint replacement are younger now than they were in 2000, new research indicates. The average patient undergoing a total hip replacement (THR) in 2014 was 64.9 years, while the average patient in 2000 was 66.3 years. Similarly, the average patient undergoing a total knee replacement (TKR) was 65.9 in…
(Reuters Health)—Gout sufferers with major pre-existing heart disease face a higher risk of death if they are treated with the drug febuxostat, a large long-term study has concluded. The risk of death from cardiovascular disease was 34% higher with febuxostat than with allopurinol. When researchers considered deaths from any cause, the risk was 22% higher…
In 2018, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) will present the FNIH Trailblazer Prize for Clinician-Scientists (Trailblazer Prize), which recognizes the outstanding contributions of early career clinician-scientists whose work has the potential to or has led to innovations in patient care. This $10,000 honorarium and prize celebrates the achievements of medical doctors…
As the shortage of rheumatologists is expected to worsen, practices and fellowship programs are asking how to attract top talent. Here are tips for how individuals can raise rheumatology’s profile and reach out to med students and new rheumatologists…
Researchers explored the role of carbamylated protein (CarP) and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The results showed significantly higher levels of CarP and NETs in patients with both RA and periodontitis than in healthy controls. The data suggest that RA and periodontitis may share an underlying pathogenic mechanism…