The ACR President Joseph Flood, MD, Reviews 2014 in Rheumatology

Position Statements

The Board approved numerous updated position statements from the Committee on Government Affairs and the Committee on Rheumatologic Care. These statements clarify our policies and help us deal with the government, insurance companies and other entities. They are available to you on the ACR website. We also undertook the process of appointing Richard Bucala, MD, PhD, as the new editor of Arthritis & Rheumatology, and completed numerous other tasks.

Government Affairs

I am so proud of how we have grown in sophistication and effectiveness in dealing with government. You have heard from me about the amazing success we had because our outstanding volunteers were in the right place at the right time, aided by our lobbying firm and RheumPAC, in delaying implementation of ICD-10. As you know, we also testified before a congressional committee on the Patient Access to Care bill and were the only medical professional organization to testify at that hearing.

We have been a powerful voice with CMS and with insurance companies. Our hardworking CORC members and Insurance Subcommittee members have been tireless in defending your needs and those of your patients.

The strategic plan brings together previously separate staff in practice and government affairs with those in quality of care to create important cross-pollination of creativity as these functions become more interrelated in new healthcare systems. An impressive staff works under one organizational roof now.

The ACR Executive Committee—front row: Karen Smarr, PhD, Sharad Lakhanpal, MD, MBBS, and Joan Von Feldt, MD, MS Ed; back row: Eric Matteson, MD, Joseph Flood, MD, E. William St.Clair, MD, and David Karp, MD, PhD.

Cooperation

We have witnessed unprecedented cooperation by the ACR with other organizations that have the needs of our patients at heart. This cooperation is best exemplified by our strong advocacy alliance with the Arthritis Foundation, our tireless partner in supporting and protecting patients. We also formed a coalition with other medical specialty societies to compel the federal government to recognize the unique contributions cognitive specialties (such as rheumatology) bring to patients. We also have joined voices with other specialties to push for maintenance of certification that makes sense and is evidence based.

I am proud about the progress our Affiliated Societies Council has made in bringing local and state organizations under a larger tent to cooperate on mutual goals. More than ever, it is mandatory that we all push in the same direction in Advancing Rheumatology! All organizations in rheumatology must work together. The ACR hired a new staff person just to minister to the needs of organizations at the state level, where important legislation regulating biosimilar medications and Medicaid is being made law.