New research highlights the current geographic areas of Ontario, Canada, associated with Lyme disease and the presence of Ixodes scapularis. The study found the ticks are expanding their range at a rate of 46–55 km/year, with several sites showing the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease. These findings may help target public health interventions in the areas at greatest risk…
(Reuters Health)—Eating an overall healthy diet is tied to a lower risk of hip fracture among women over age 50, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers analyzed decades’ worth of dietary and health data for more than 100,000 U.S. men and women. They found that women who scored highest on the American Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI)…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Synovial gene expression and histology can be used to divide rheumatoid arthritis (RA) into high, low, and mixed inflammatory subtypes, according to results from the Accelerating Medicine Partnership: RA/SLE Network. “The actionable implication of these findings is that it may be worth considering synovial biopsies in patients who are not responding to…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Using tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors in children is not significantly associated with cancer risk, according to a new study. “TNF inhibitors are remarkably effective for the treatment of many autoimmune conditions, but physicians worry that they cause cancer,” Dr. Timothy Beukelman from the University of Alabama in Birmingham told Reuters Health…
Last year, Nebraska rheumatologist Marcus Snow, MD, learned a biosimilar bill was up for debate in his state legislature, yet “I had no knowledge of it,” he says. Forming the Society The bill “was something that caught my eye, and I thought there should be a mechanism in place to allow us to disseminate information…
Greetings, Advocates! Great news for the rheumatology community came on Feb. 9, when the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 was enacted. It contains several critical healthcare fixes pertinent to rheumatology. First, after hundreds of emails, meetings, letters to the editor, an op-ed, and a forceful 109-member coalition (led by the ACR and including many state…
As of March 5, physicians no longer have to write their own notes in addition to notes created by students, residents or fellows during patient examinations; instead, providers will only have to verify information documented by the student. Early last month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reversed the Obama administration policy that prohibited…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Diclofenac patches appear to be the most effective topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for osteoarthritis (OA), according to a new systematic review and network meta-analysis. “Topical NSAIDs were effective and safe for OA,” Dr. Weiya Zhang of the University of Nottingham and City Hospital in the UK and colleagues write. “However, confirmation…
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is conducting the 2018 Burdens Associated with Reporting Quality Measures Study, as outlined in the Quality Payment Program Year 2 final rule (CMS 5522- FC). The CMS is conducting this study to: Examine clinical workflows and data-collection methods using different submission systems; Understand the challenges clinicians face when…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The U.S. Justice Department will argue the federal government deserves reimbursement for costs it has borne stemming from the opioid crisis in a “statement of interest” it plans to file in a lawsuit against drug manufacturers and distributors, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said on Tuesday. “I am announcing today that the department will…