Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

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

Search results for: step therapy

Step Therapy and Biosimilar Substitution Top the Priority List for the Rheumatology Association of Iowa

  |  

A little more than three years ago, rheumatologist Michael Brooks, MD, FACP, FACR, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, turned years of discussion into something tangible: He and his colleagues got the paperwork and financial requirements in order and officially started the Rheumatology Association of Iowa. “We had been trying to get something going statewide in terms of…

Ohio Rheumatologists Advocate for Step Therapy Reform & More

  |  

On a chilly March morning in Lancaster, Ohio, rheumatologist Stephanie Ott, MD, shared the Ohio Association of Rheumatology’s (OAR) current advocacy efforts with ACR@Work between walking her three dogs and driving to her clinic to see patients—some of whom travel from as far away as West Virginia. “This year, we are really focusing on legislation…

Step Therapy, Biosimilars among ACR’s 2017 State-Level Priorities

  |  

Opportunities and challenges will continue to face the rheumatology community in 2017. In response to these challenges, the ACR has outlined its federal– and state-level legislative and regulatory healthcare priorities for the year. Howard Blumstein, MD, chair of the ACR Affiliate Society Council, says that achieving at least some of these priorities at the state…

The ACR’s Advocacy at State Legislature Level in 2016 Focuses on Biosimilars, Step Therapy

  |  

A majority of state legislatures have concluded their work for 2016. The ACR’s state advocacy efforts continued to focus on policy benefiting rheumatologists and patients alike. The two dominant issues this year were biosimilar substitution and step therapy. Biosimilar Substitution Biosimilar substitution remains the most prevalent issue throughout the states. The ACR continues to monitor…

The ACR and Partners Help Get Legislation Passed in New York to Limit Step Therapy

  |  

In June, state lawmakers in New York passed legislation on step therapy designed to help ensure patient access to the best and most appropriate care. Step therapy mandates that a patient with a specific condition receive prescribed drugs approved for that condition in the order that an insurance company determines it will cover as the…

1 Step Closer: Study Examines Factors That Lead to RA in Hope of Developing Prevention Strategies

  |  

Research has found blood tests detect elevations of autoantibody isotypes in patients years before they are diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). According to Kevin Deane, MD, PhD, identifying patients during this pre-RA period may be key to preventing or delaying the onset of RA.

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…

Addiction Therapy Is Underprescribed but May Benefit Medical Adherence

  |  

CHICAGO—Although medical treatments for addiction have been proved effective, they are not used often enough, said Kenneth Stoller, MD, during a session at the 2019 ACR State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium, held April 5–7. These treatments bring health benefits that extend beyond addiction, he said. Dr. Stoller, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins…