During a busy start to 2023, the ISC has been advocating with payers to address multiple coverage and reimbursement challenges facing rheumatology practices, including Cigna’s modifier 25 requirements, hydroxychloroquine access and coverage for apremilast combination therapy.
The ACR responded to a Senate Health Committee request for information with legislative strategies to support healthcare providers and expand the physician and care team pipeline.
A study found that litifilimab, a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds blood dendritic cell antigen 2, may be effective for the treatment of patients with active cutaneous lupus erythematosus. The treatment successfully reduced skin disease activity in patients at 16 weeks compared with placebo.
In January, Cecilia Pilar Chung, MD, MPH, began her new appointment as director of the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Miami. Previously, Dr. Chung was an associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn., for more than 10 years. At Vanderbilt, Dr. Chung built a strong research portfolio, focusing on the comparative…
“What are you up to this weekend?” “Flying to Guam.” “What? Why?” “I promised an entire island I’d be their doctor.” In fall 2021, Jonathon Thorp, MD, phoned a friend. A passionate internist, he was bound and determined to bring a rheumatologist to Guam. Unlike most primary care providers (PCPs), he was willing to prescribe…
As ACR Open Rheumatology (ACROR) enters its fifth year, its founding editors in chief are looking back on the journal’s accomplishments and forward to ushering in a new era, beginning with a search for their successors. Patricia Katz, PhD, professor of medicine and health policy at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and Edward…
Over the past decade, a number of pilot studies have provided proof of concept for the use of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) to treat rheumatic conditions. The studies represent an expansion of this treatment approach into rheumatology, building on years of scientific inquiry into the mechanisms of VNS on disease states that led to preclinical…
Starting in June, all prescribers registered with the Drug Enforcement Agency must complete a one-time, eight-hour training on treating and managing patients with opioid or substance use disorders.
The ACR is compiling a list of healthcare policy changes relevant to rheumatology providers and patients that will take effect when the public health emergency expires on May 11.
Neuro-rheumatology is a fast-growing field. Better testing and imaging have increased recognition of once-infrequent diagnoses, such as neuro-sarcoidosis and amyloid beta-related angiitis. Concurrently, the rapid expansion of immunotherapy options to treat cancer and their untoward neurological side effects have increased the frequency of referrals to both neurologists and rheumatologists. Identifying and treating neurologic manifestations of…