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9 Steps to Transform Your Rheumatology Practice

Erin Arnold, MD; William Arnold, MD; Gary Crump, MD; David Sikes, MD; Drew Johnson, MS, MBA; & Timothy Harrington, MD  |  

The ACR position statement on access to care proposes the goal that “… all patients have timely access to expert rheuma­tology care … .”1 The reality is that new and established rheumatology patient wait times are often prolonged, causing delays in necessary diagnosis and treatment. The 2005 and 2015 ACR Workforce studies document intractable and…

COVID-19 Poses Training Challenges for Rheumatology Fellows

Catherine Kolonko  |  

Like the medical profession itself, the education of doctors serving in rheumatology fellowships across the nation marches on despite the unexpected hurdles posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Practice Changes “The pandemic has changed the way our fellows see patients; we are now seeing almost all patients using telemedicine,” says Bonita Libman, MD, FACR, FACP, fellowship…

5 Takeaways from the 2018 Rheumatology Fellowship Match Data

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If you’re a rheumatologist, you likely remember the moment of truth on your match day—the day of revelation, when the complex computer algorithm set up by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) accommodates the wishes of programs and applicants and then discloses into which program an applicant has been placed. Although it has always been…

A Call to Action to Use the Pandemic to Transform Rheumatic Disease Care

S. Louis Bridges Jr., MD, PhD  |  

No event in recent history has caused such far-reaching changes within the medical industry as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Similar to its ability to spread indiscriminately—infecting people regardless of age, race or socioeconomic background—the virus is inducing immediate and, likely, permanent changes across the entire spectrum of healthcare. Comfortable routines of healthcare delivery have been…

The ACR Is Helping Rheumatology Practices Meet COVID-19 Challenges

Ellen M. Gravallese, MD  |  

These are difficult times for rheumatologists. We have seen sharp declines in face-to-face patient visits since the COVID‑19 pandemic began. Many of us have questions about the best ways to maintain employee and patient safety while keeping our practices afloat and continuing to provide optimal care. The volunteer leaders at the ACR continue to care…

With Apps & Remote Medicine, Japan Offers Glimpse of Doctor Visits in Post-COVID-19 Era

Kaori Kaneko & Izumi Nakagawa  |  

TOKYO (Reuters)—The coronavirus crisis has prompted Japan to ease regulations on remote medical treatment, creating an opening for tech companies and offering a glimpse of the future of healthcare in the world’s most rapidly aging society. As coronavirus cases spiked in April, Japan temporarily eased restrictions on remote medical care, allowing doctors to conduct first-time…

Dr. Bernhard Helps Doctors in Underserved Areas Via the MAVEN Project

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In 2018, Gerson Bernhard, MD, FACP, MACR, received a call from a primary care physician at a rural clinic in Florida who was treating patients with varying degrees of arthritis. One patient’s case was more complex than the others. Dr. Bernhard guided the doctor through the patient’s history, reviewed lab results, referred related studies, expanded…

The Georgia Society of Rheumatology in Focus

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As president of the Georgia Society of Rheumatology (GSR), Wambui Machua, MD, a rheumatologist with Piedmont Physicians Rheumatology, Atlanta, oversees a membership of 90 rheumatologists, six orthopedists, two nurses, 85 physician assistants and 27 fellows and residents. According to Dr. Machua, the GSR, founded in 1967, continues to pursue its original mission of providing educational…