We’re in this together for rheumatology and our patients. Those who know me appreciate my devotion to Duke Basketball and my pride in their recent NCAA championship. Coach K (Krzyzewski), a firmly established leader in the world of college basketball, makes the analogy that a basketball team is like five fingers on a hand, and…
One parent wishes that she could have consulted a crystal ball at the beginning of her daughter’s illness to have “some kind of idea of what we were in for. There are so many stages of letting go of the idea of what your little kid is in for in life, what they are going…
Rheumatologists who have not been members of the American Medical Association (AMA), or have let their membership lapse, should strongly consider joining now for 2015 so rheumatology can remain involved in steering the direction of the AMA. Call the AMA at 800-262-3211 and specify that you want to join for 2015, or contact ACR staff…
Want to hear about the latest advances in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and polymyositis/dermatomyositis and how best to implement interprofessional care for your patients? The Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP) Clinical Focus Course (CFC) is the course for you. The CFC is a full-day course titled, Clinical Advances in…
How are Annie and Abby? That’s a question some patients ask J. Michelle Kahlenberg, MD, PhD, a rheumatologist and assistant professor in the school of medicine at the University of Michigan, who also runs a lupus research lab at the University of Michigan Health System. Patients aren’t asking about her children, but family members of…
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation)—Many of the world’s biggest challenges, such as encouraging people to buy life-saving drugs or unpicking deeply rooted sexism, can be tackled by using subtle psychological cues to change the way people behave, according to experts in London. Behavioral economics, also known as “nudging,” is about making people more likely to make…
LONDON (Reuters)—People around the world are living longer, but many are also living sicker lives for longer, according to a study of all major diseases and injuries in 188 countries. General health has improved worldwide, thanks to significant progress against infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, in the past decade and gains in fighting…
New legislation has the potential to streamline the audit process for Medicare and Medicaid, taking a burden off small rheumatology practices…
ATLANTA—The American College of Rheumatology has released a statement outlining the ACR’s position on the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM’s) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirements. The position statement was drafted and vetted during a three-month collaboration between ACR leadership and its members where nearly 1,100 rheumatologists provided feedback that was used to formulate the…
The only way to be confident your practice is performing well is to conduct periodic internal reviews of your practice operations. This allows you to familiarize yourself with the intimate details of your practice operations and identify what you are doing well and what needs improvement. Doing so will not only help your practice become…