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

Paternal Methotrexate Exposure Not Tied to Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes

Scott Baltic  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—A father’s exposure to methotrexate 90 days or less before conception “should not be of major concern,” researchers say. Prepregnancy paternal methotrexate exposure appears to confer no increased risk of major or minor congenital malformation, stillbirth or preterm birth in his offspring, their study found. Methotrexate is a first-line therapy for rheumatoid…

How to Diagnose Antisynthetase Syndrome

How to Diagnose Antisynthetase Syndrome

Quretul Quresh, MD, & Stephen Lindsey, MD  |  

Antisynthetase syndrome (AS) is strongly associated with the presence of antibodies to aminoacyl-transfer RNA (tRNA) synthetases (ARSs) that are implicated in the pathogenesis of myositis and interstitial lung disease (ILD). Antibodies against eight antisynthetases have been identified and are detected in 16–26% of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM).1 Serum assays for five of these…

RheumPAC Committee Outlines Goals for 2017

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“You can’t win last night’s game again.” —George Karl, professional basketball player and coach Amid the angst and upheaval from our recent elections and associated uncertainty for future healthcare policies, one thing remains clear: We must increase our engagement with our elected officials to educate them on the needs of our profession and our patients….

ACR Puts Forward Principles on Patient Access to Care

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The ACR has partnered with the American Medical Association (AMA) and over a dozen stakeholder groups to create a set of 21 principles to reform prior authorization protocols. This coalition represents hospitals, medical groups, patients, pharmacists and physicians with a unified goal of creating a more patient-centered, streamlined and transparent process for prior authorization. According…

Rheumatology Research Foundation Reaches $60 Million Journey to Cure Goal

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The Rheumatology Research Foundation is pleased to announce the overwhelming success of the Journey to Cure campaign. With a goal of raising $60 million, this five-year campaign was created to directly invest in the future of rheumatology by supporting training opportunities and funding innovative research. The campaign surpassed its goal, with a grand total of…

The ACR’s Representation in American Medical Association Critical as Review Looms

Sharad Lakhanpal, MBBS, MD  |  

There is a saying that if the American Medical Association (AMA) did not exist, we would have to invent it. That is just what Dr. Nathan S. Davis did back in 1845 when he called for a national medical convention and laid the foundation for the establishment of the AMA in 1847. This new group would…

Clinical Documentation and Coding Boot Camp

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Coding properly and efficiently can have a profound effect on practice viability. ICD-10’s many changes, both ongoing and planned, have many physicians, coders and practice administrators confused, especially as the changes relate to clinical documentation improvement. To address this issue, a pre-symposium course on documentation and coding will be held in conjunction with the ACR’s…

AHCA, ACR Health Policy & More

Angus B. Worthing  |  

Editor’s note: This blog by Dr. Worthing originally appeared on the ACR’s Advocacy Listserv. What a month! House Republicans introduced their bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. The ACR has analyzed the bill and believes the American Health Care Act (AHCA) does not go far enough to help Americans with rheumatic diseases. Brief recap: The…