Video: Every Case Tells a Story| Webinar: ACR/CHEST ILD Guidelines in Practice

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

Guidance

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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!

 

Become a Champion for RA

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Ask any rheumatologist about the state of RA as a disease and you’re likely to get the same answer: There’s reason for great optimism and there’s a lot of work to be done.

Advocates for Arthritis, We’ll See You on the Hill

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The annual ACR Advocates for Arthritis program will be held in Washington, D.C., Feb. 25–26, 2008. As in previous years, physicians, health professionals and patients will visit congressional offices to discuss current legislation that would advance research, prevention and care for patients with arthritis and other rheumatic diseases.

National HMO Class-Action Case Settled

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The latest development in the healthcare class-action settlement will affect approximately 900,000 physicians (and some major state medical societies) who may be eligible to receive compensation from the settlement – as long as they file a claim. The case has been called “historic” by those representing both physicians and insurance companies.

Voices on the Hill

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On September 19, the ACR and the Arthritis Foundation held a joint legislative briefing to inform Congress members and their staff about the devastating effects of arthritis and related rheumatic diseases, as well as to encourage support of the “Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act of 2007” (S.626/H.R. 1283), or Arthritis Act.

Pursue Remission

Carol A. Wallace, MD  |  

Disease remission should be the goal for all rheumatologists treating childhood arthritis

REF Fellowship Training Award Expanded

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Workforce training should be at the forefront of every rheumatologist’s mind. The release of the 2006 Rheumatology Workforce Study, commissioned by the ACR, confirms that the current shortage of rheumatologists will continue to increase, affecting current and future patient care.

Innovative Educational Programs for Rheumatology APNs and PAs

Karen L. Kerr, MSN, NP, CPNP, APRN-BC  |  

Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases affect more than 46 million adults and 300,000 children in the United States. With the aging of the U.S. population, the number of adults with rheumatic disease is expected to increase to 67 million by 2030.1 While the demand for rheumatology services is increasing, the supply of practicing rheumatologists is diminishing. The ACR Rheumatology Workforce Study (published earlier this year) predicts that there will be little or no increase in the number of practicing rheumatologists, resulting in a critical shortage of rheumatologists by 2020.

Urge Congress to Support the Arthritis Act

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The ACR strongly urges Congress to enact the “Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act of 2007” (S. 626/H.R.1283), introduced by Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Christopher Bond (R-Mo.) and Representatives Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Chip Pickering (R-Miss.).

Enhanced Opportunities at the 2007 Meeting

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The AMPC is using more translational components as a way of increasing the basic scientist’s interaction with clinicians, he explains. In keeping with this, the meeting will offer sessions on osteoclasts, implications for the development and treatment of osteoarthritis, T-cell subsets, and a year in review – all of which will be of interest to both the clinician and the basic researcher.