Webinar: ACR/CHEST ILD Guidelines in Practice| Video: All the Lonely People

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

Guidance

Subcategories:Clinical Criteria/GuidelinesEthicsLegal UpdatesLegislation & AdvocacyMeeting ReportsResearch Rheum

Figure 2: High-resolution computed tomography showed evidence of interstitial lung disease.

High-resolution computed tomography shows evidence of ILD.

The ACR/CHEST ILD Guidelines in Practice, a video
In collaboration with the American College of Chest Physicians, the ACR released two new comprehensive guidelines aimed at improving the screening, monitoring, and treatment of patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) secondary to systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs). Recently, Sindhu R. Johnson, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, Canada, director of the Toronto Scleroderma Program and principal investigator for the guideline, and Elana J. Bernstein, MD, MSc, Florence Irving associate professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at Columbia University, New York City, and co-first author, presented a webinar to talk about how the guidelines were developed and present some of the recommendations and their rationale: Watch the recording now!

 

New Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Course

  |  

The ACR is broadening its educational offerings in musculoskeletal ultrasound by holding its first stand-alone musculoskeletal ultrasound course for rheumatologists this August in Chicago. The same course will be offered prior to the 2010 ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting.

New Workshops on Patient Findings and Joint Injections

  |  

There is a critical shortage of rheumatologists in the U.S. The aging of the U.S. population, along with recent changes in healthcare reform, makes it critical for rheumatology practices across the U.S. to plan for the maintenance of accessible, high-quality care for patients. Establishing a collaborative rheumatology practice between a rheumatologist and a nurse practitioner or physician assistant (NP/PA) has been identified as one solution, but there are few rheumatology specialty training opportunities for NPs and PAs. The ARHP has identified the need to provide training for this portion of its membership and is now expanding its offerings for NPs and PAs through four new workshops at the annual meeting in November.

Annual Meeting Looks at the Business of Rheumatology

  |  

In response to the need for education to help a busy practicing rheumatologist tackle some of the business tasks associated with practice, the 2010 Annual Meeting Planning Committee has created a new track: the Business of Rheumatology. This track was created to help the busy private practitioner identify sessions that address pertinent and timely business issues, such as coding, reimbursement, the impact of healthcare reform, EHRs, and other business-related issues.

REF President: Annual Giving Is the Foundation of Our Core Awards

E. William St.Clair, MD  |  

Annual giving is a fundraising component of the ACR Research and Education Foundation’s (REF’s) comprehensive development plan—the other main sources being the Industry Roundtable and planned giving, otherwise known as The Legacy Society. What has always struck me about annual giving is the munificence of our donors. When it comes to annual giving, most donors are ACR members whose spirit of generosity makes it possible for the REF to fulfill its mission of advancing research and training to improve the health of people with rheumatic diseases.

Recent Study Improves Understanding of Preclinical Rheumatoid Arthritis

  |  

A study recently published in Arthritis Care & Research (AC&R) reveals a novel approach for the study of preclinical rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The investigators conducting the study sought to determine if these RA-related biomarkers could also be found in healthy subjects in order to investigate relationships between genetic and environmental factors and the presence of these biomarkers. Their goal is to study how these biomarkers evolve.

When Lupus Research is a Family Affair

Cynthia Aranow, MD, Meggan Mackay, MD,Peter Gregersen, MD, and Betty Diamond, MD  |  

Following sisters of SLE patients may shed light on risk factors and progression of the disease