Focus Rheums| ACR Convergence 2024 Previews

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

Patients Steered to Fewer Pharmacies May Fill More Prescriptions

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—When patients have drug benefits that encourage them to save money by using certain pharmacies, they may end up filling more prescriptions, a company-funded study suggests. Narrow pharmacy networks that cover prescriptions only at certain retailers and drug benefits that offer consumers lower out-of-pocket fees at a subset of preferred pharmacies have become more…

Regulatory Backlog in Emerging Nations Adding Years to Drug Approvals

Reuters Staff  |  

BASEL (Reuters)—A regulatory backlog in developing countries including China has created wait times for drugs awaiting approval of up to seven years, Roche Holding AG Chief Executive Severin Schwan said on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, time lines are getting longer and longer in countries like China,” Schwan said at an oncology event at the Swiss company’s headquarters…

New Recommendations Support Effective Use of Telemedicine in Primary Care

Will Boggs, MD  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The American College of Physicians (ACP) has issued a baker’s dozen of recommendations intended to guide the effective use of telemedicine in primary care settings. “The recommendations balance the potential benefits and expanded use of telemedicine with the importance of maintaining the patient-physician relationship and patient safety,” Hilary Daniel from American College…

U.S. Doctors Group Says Planned Health Mergers Are Anti-Competitive

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters)—Two proposed mergers of U.S. health insurers worth tens of billions of dollars would hurt competition in commercial health plans in as many as 17 states, the American Medical Association, the U.S. group that represents physicians, said on Tuesday. Aetna Inc. announced plans to buy smaller rival Humana Inc. in early July and…

Small Grants Fund Physical Activity to Combat OA

  |  

To increase access to community-based physical activity for arthritis patients, the Osteoarthritis Action Alliance has awarded funding to three programs designed to implement evidence-based physical activity programs and osteoarthritis education in their communities…

Can Childhood Fitness Predict Adult Knee Problems or OA?

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

An Australian study found an association between child physical performance measures and adult knee structures. The data, collected from three points in participants’ lives, revealed a link between childhood activity and adult tibial cartilage volume and bone area.

Arthritis May Be Worse in Poor Countries, but Seem Worse in Rich Ones

Janice Neumann  |  

(Reuters Health)—A study of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) finds that those in wealthy nations are more troubled by it, even though people in poor countries have more severe symptoms. The results, tallied from 17 countries, suggest that cultural factors may influence patients’ perception of their illness, and possibly even the results of clinical trials…

Self-Monitoring of RA Treatment May Lead to Fewer Office Visits

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Self-monitoring of methotrexate therapy may curb healthcare utilization in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis, according to a new trial. The study indicates “that this novel model of care led to significant reductions in outpatient visits to the (clinical nurse specialist) and a reduction in visits to the GP, while maintaining the…