Mary Beth Nierengarten is a writer, editor and journalist with over 25 years of medical communications experience. She is a regular contributor to a number of online and print publications and writes in most clinical areas, as well as on health policy and economic issues. She lives in Minneapolis and can be reached at [email protected].
WASHINGTON, D.C.—In a session during the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, aptly called Quality Measures and Quality of Care I, a panel of experts presented information on a number of programs underway in rheumatology using quality measures to both assess and improve patient outcomes. Leading off were two presentations on programs using quality measures to improve…
The ACR is joining a chorus of voices asking Congress to reconsider several key provisions in the proposed American Health Care Act (AHCA) that it feels could have a detrimental effect on patients. Characterized as a replacement to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the AHCA eliminates a number of provisions found in the ACA, although…
The ACR continues to broaden its advocacy efforts on issues critical to rheumatology, as described in updates to its 2017 health policy statements. Along with continuing to advocate for access to care and treatments, enhancements to rheumatology research and training the next generation of rheumatologists, the 2017 health policy statements address a number of new…
As the 115th Congress and the Trump administration consider potential reforms to the healthcare system, including actions related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), physicians around the country remain vitally concerned about the need to preserve and improve access to care for their patients. To that end, the ACR continues to lobby for policies that…
Patient Safety & Site of Service for Biologics Although emphasizing its strong support for the use of biologic agents as necessary treatments for rheumatic diseases, the ACR Board of Directors continues to be concerned about the safe delivery of these agents, given the potential for associated adverse events and infusion reactions. In a position statement…
With the termination of the Sustainable Growth Rate formula through the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), clinicians who participate in Medicare Part B will now be reimbursed through a new payment model called the Quality Payment Program (QPP). How It Works The QPP rewards the delivery of high-quality patient care via…
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Calling it an extremely challenging topic, Peter K. Gregersen, MD, professor and head, Robert S. Boas Center for Genomics and Human Genetics, Feinstein Institute, Manhasset, N.Y., said the current role of genetics in clinical practice is less about how to use genetic information to care for patients and more about how providers and patients…
WASHINGTON, D.C.—What do treating hand osteoarthritis (OA) in the primary care setting, high financial strain and risk of depression in patients with lupus, prolonged sitting and cardiovascular disease, and sex-specific treatment after total hip arthroplasty have in common? They were all topics presented during a session titled ARHP I: Exemplary Abstracts at the 2016 ACR/ARHP…
Soon, rheumatologists may have another drug to offer their patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RRA) for whom effective and safe treatment remains challenging. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that patients with RRA treated with once-daily baricitinib in a 4 mg dose had a significant clinical improvement in symptoms of…
WASHINGTON, D.C.—“Regardless of where we are on the political spectrum, we have to get engaged,” said Sen. Tim Hutchinson, senior director, Greenberg Traurig LLP, Washington, D.C., speaking at the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting. As a former U.S. senator from Arkansas, Sen. Hutchinson talked about the importance of members in such organizations as the ACR to…