Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

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

Patient Fact Sheet: Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the most common form of inflammatory arthritis, is a chronic disease that causes pain, stiffness, swelling, and limitation in the motion and function of multiple joints. RA is classified as an autoimmune disease, which develops because certain cells of the immune system malfunction and attack healthy joints.

“My Office Manager Handles That”

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Some rheumatologists in private practice are fortunate enough to have office managers who handle the business side of medicine for them. However, the truth is that it is the physician who is the leader of his or her practice, not the office manager. If nothing else, the physician is the one who manages the office manager.

I Am an Advocate

Deanna Sanchez Yamamoto, NP  |  

I have never considered myself to be a political person, much less an “advocate,” which is why I was surprised to become an ARHP advocacy committee member.

What a Bold Vision and Dedication Can Achieve

Leslie Crofford, MD  |  

Over the past two years, you have heard us talking a lot about Within Our Reach: Finding a Cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis, the Research and Education Foundation (REF) campaign to raise and award funds for investigator-initiated research to find a cure for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Physician Leaders and the Business of Medicine

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In a perfect world, in their work, all people would do what they do best—and only what they do best. Dancers would dance, singers would sing, and physicians and healthcare professionals would spend their time treating patients, teaching, and advancing the science of their profession.

Letters to the Editor

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I read with interest Dr. Fox’s perspective in the June issue of The Rheumatologist [TR] regarding ghost writing in medical research. Dr. Fox is all for integrity in research (who isn’t?); nevertheless, he takes to task some of the people (Ross et al and the editors of the Journal of the American Medical Association [JAMA]) who write about the corrupting influence of industry on physicians, including those in academics [JAMA 2008;299(15):1800-1812]. Part of his motivation may be to defend members of ACR who have been involved in the activity of ghostwriting and guest editing. This approach may play well to readers of The Rheumatologist, but it would seem that Dr. Fox should address his concerns to the editors of JAMA. That way, the authors of the article could offer a rebuttal to Dr. Fox’s concerns and assertions, and we all could get closer to the truth about this important issue.