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

Rituximab Promising for Dermatitis Herpetiformis

Marilynn Larkin  |  

NEW YORK—Rituximab may be an effective treatment for recalcitrant dermatitis herpetiformis (DH), according to a recent case study. “DH is an autoimmune blistering disease which is commonly associated with celiac disease and can present with debilitating pruritic blisters on extensor surfaces,” explained Dr. Ron Feldman of Emory University School of Medicine. “The most common treatments…

Cyber Safety in the HIPAA Age

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Ready for a cyber checkup? Auditing your health IT policies, safeguarding your hardware and educating your staff on the importance of data security should be routine, according to industry experts…

Top ACR Priorities in 2017 Include Drug Costs, MACRA

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With a new federal administration and Republican-controlled Congress taking the helm in 2017, the ACR Government Affairs Committee has identified top legislative and regulatory priorities for the year. “The main priority is going to be helping represent the rheumatology community as Medicare is reformed, because the era of MACRA started Jan. 1,” says Angus Worthing,…

Insurance Subcommittee to the Rescue

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Concerned about reimbursement for specialty drugs? Wondering if your patient can continue on a prescribed medication despite formulary changes? Unsure how to request a tier exception? No need to face these issues alone. The ACR has a resource that can assist with questions regarding coverage and payment policies for private insurers and Medicare. That resource…

Does Telephone Coaching Enhance Physical Activity Programs?

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

Health coaching by telephone is increasingly being used to assist in chronic disease self-management. A recent study examined the benefits of simultaneous health coaching via telephone as an addition to a physiotherapist-prescribed home-based physical activity program for patients with knee OA. Although participants receiving additional coaching had a short-term improvement in adherence, changes in pain and function did not differ between the study’s groups at six months…

Liquid Biopsy Provides Insights into Lupus

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Microparticles in the blood of SLE patients may be a source of extracellular HMGB1, which is involved in immune response. Researchers found that analysis may be able to determine if the patient is producing dead, dying and activated cells that are important for SLE pathogenesis…

Lesinurad with Allopurinol When Allopurinol Alone Is Insufficient

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Current guidelines for the long-term management of gout recommend a combination of lifestyle management and/or pharmacotherapy to lower serum UA levels to <6.0 mg/dL in most patients or <5.0 mg/dL in patients with more severe disease. Allopurinol is the most widely used xanthine oxidase inhibitor and is recommended in treatment guidelines as a first-line urate-lowering…

New Test Yields Rapid Infliximab Drug Concentrations

Will Boggs, MD  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—A new test provides rapid infliximab drug concentrations that enable immediate dosing adjustments, researchers from Belgium report. “With this rapid test, our biggest wish is to persuade physicians to now perform and use infliximab measurements also in their own daily clinical practice, as many practical and organizational issues that went along with…