WASHINGTON (Reuters)—A senior U.S. Senator warned his on Thursday against simultaneously overhauling Medicare and the Obamacare health insurance program, saying this would be “biting off more than you can chew.” The cautionary comments from Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) came after House Speaker Paul Ryan, long an advocate of privatizing Medicare, said Republican lawmakers would be…
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Shingles Vaccination Not at Goal Levels for U.S. Seniors
(Reuters Health)—Just one in five people over age 60 in the U.S. have been vaccinated against a painful eruption of herpes zoster (shingles), despite recommendations that all of them should get the shot. It’s estimated that among people over age 50, one in three will eventually develop shingles. After age 80, half of adults have…
Telemedicine: One Rheumatologist’s Experience
Once the barriers to telemedicine are overcome, this modern approach to the practice of medicine solves patient access issues and increases physician productivity, says Daniel Albert, MD, a pediatric rheumatologist at the Center for Telehealth at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center…
Anthem May Trim Obamacare Participation in 2018
(Reuters)—U.S. health insurer Anthem Inc on Wednesday raised the prospect of smaller participation in the individual Obamacare exchanges in 2018, saying it would have a market-by-market strategy that hinges on 2017 profitability. The company said that losses due to sicker-than-expected customers in its individual Obamacare plans were a bit less than foreseen in the third…
Brave New MACRA World
Sweeping changes in how physicians are paid for patient care are on the way. The Medicare Access and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2015, or MACRA, tossed out the Sustainable Growth Rate formula and ties reimbursement to quality measures. A Helpful Presentation Because 2017 is the first performance year under the new…
Common Sense Tips for Rheumatologists on Social Media
Using social media goes beyond self-promotion, says David Deutsch. “If you can give prospective patients something that changes their lives, they will care about you.” A few thoughts on social media and rheumatology practices…
When Medical Workforce Grievances Lead to Strikes
Picket Lines: June 27 was marked on my calendar as the day to watch. No doubt the union organizers shrewdly selected it to be their strike day because of its proximity to July 1, an auspicious date for teaching hospitals, when rookie interns and residents anxiously assume their heightened roles of responsibility within the medical…
Ethics Forum: Prescribing Teratogenic Medications to Adolescents Can Raise Confidentiality, Ethical Concerns
Case A 17-year-old girl returns to the rheumatology clinic for scheduled follow-up for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). She is accompanied by her mother and father. She has a history of autoimmune cytopenias and Class III lupus nephritis. She has responded well to treatment with mycophenolate mofetil and hydroxychloroquine and was successfully weaned off of prednisone…
Possible Impact of Biosimilar Infliximab on U.S. Market in Prescriptions, Pricing
The use of biosimilars for rheumatology in the U.S. became a reality when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Inflectra (infliximab-dyyb), a biosimilar to Remicade (infliximab), in April. What this may mean is increased competition among drug companies with regard to pricing and, therefore, potentially lower costs for U.S. patients, according to Seoyoung…
Blacks, Asians at Higher Risk for Allopurinol-Related Skin Reactions
Be careful when prescribing allopurinol to black and Asian gout patients, a study newly advises. Black and Asian patients who take this ubiquitous, more-than-40-year-old medication are at much higher risk of certain serious skin reactions than are Caucasians or Hispanics. Compared with Caucasians, blacks who take allopurinol to lower blood urate levels have an increased…
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