Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

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

When to Add a Rheumatologist to Your Practice

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Is a rheumatologist in your practice retiring? Do patients wait a long time for an appointment? Answering yes to these questions could mean it’s time to hire a new rheumatologist. Here are a few other considerations…

Senate Reauthorizes FDA to Collect Fees from Drugmakers

Reuters Staff  |  

(Reuters)—The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed a bill allowing the Food and Drug Administration to continue collecting fees from drug companies to review new product applications. The FDA Reauthorization Act renews an existing law that expires on Sept. 30 and which provides the majority of FDA funds used to review pharmaceuticals and determine whether they…

Oversupply of Opioids after Surgery Helps Fuel Opioid Epidemic

Ronnie Cohen  |  

(Reuters Health)—More than two-thirds of surgery patients in a recent study had prescription opioids left over after they recovered from their operations, and the vast majority failed to safely store or dispose of the often misused and abused pills, researchers say. “Unused opioids that have been prescribed for pain after surgery serve as an important…

ACR Supports Bill for Increased Medicare Contractor Transparency

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Working with more than 40 other medical associations, the ACR is supporting proposed federal legislation, the Local Coverage Determination Clarification Act of 2017 (S. 794). The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.). The bill’s provisions would add transparency to how Medicare Administrative Contractors…

U.S. Governors Urge Trump to Make Health Insurance Payments

Reuters Staff  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Democratic and Republican U.S. governors on Wednesday urged the Trump administration, as well as Congress, to continue funding payments to health insurance companies that make Obamacare plans affordable, calling it critical to stabilizing the insurance marketplace. In a statement, governors joined insurers pressuring Republican President Donald Trump to stand down from threats to cut…

U.S. Launches Opioid Fraud and Detection Unit

Sarah N. Lynch  |  

(Reuters)—U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions unveiled on Wednesday a plan to go after doctors and pharmacies suspected of healthcare fraud by over-prescribing and unbridled distribution of addictive pain medications known as opioids. In a speech at a Columbus, Ohio, police academy, Sessions said a new Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit pilot program would also…

U.S. FDA Panel Votes Against Approval of Arthritis Drug Sirukumab

Toni Clarke  |  

(Reuters)—The benefits of Johnson and Johnson’s experimental rheumatoid arthritis drug sirukumab do not outweigh the risks, an advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded on Wednesday. The panel voted 12-1 that the drug should not be approved, citing safety concerns, including an imbalance in the number of deaths in patients taking sirukumab…

Refocus Your Practice with Invigorating Sessions in San Diego

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The landscape of practice management and coding methodologies continues to be challenging in the current healthcare environment, and rheumatology practices must maintain focus on managing an effective and efficient practice. Join us at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, Nov. 3–8 in San Diego, and gain knowledge and understanding of best practices in an ever-changing environment…

RISE Registry Report

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The Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness (RISE) Registry is the ACR’s registry for quality improvement and reporting. Aggregated statistics and trends seen in the RISE Registry will be published monthly in The Rheumatologist. Visit www.RISEregistry.org to learn how you can use RISE to improve your patient care. As a Qualified Clinical Data Registry, RISE provides an…

Molecular Profile Hints at Inflammatory Processes in Chronic Fatigue

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—People with severe symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome have a molecular signature in blood made up of 17 immune system signaling molecules that are elevated, which may provide insight into how inflammation contributes to the condition. “Of the 17 cytokines that correlated with severity, 13 are proinflammatory, likely contributing to many of the symptoms…