Prior authorization and step therapy reform bills recently enacted in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts offer case studies into how substantive policy change can take persistence, patience and a bipartisan approach to achieve success.
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ACR Scores Wins for Rheumatology Community at AMA House of Delegates Interim Meeting
Key successes for the rheumatology community secured by the ACR’s delegation include passage of the ACR’s resolution addressing pharmacy benefit administrators, advances in policies to protect rheumatologists and patients in the post-Dobbs landscape and retention of the rheumatology’s representation in the AMA House of Delegates.
Ethics Forum: Has the Patient Asked for More Than Can Be Ethically Allowed?
The patient, a 76-year-old woman, had very active polyarticular rheumatoid arthritis (RA), despite triple therapy with conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), low-dose corticosteroids and occasional intra-articular injections—the latter providing only transient symptomatic relief. She had elevated inflammatory markers and a 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS-28) score of 7.4. Because of the severity of her…
3 AC&R Study Summaries: MoCA Screening in SLE, Pediatric Social Disadvantages & Surgical Weight Loss Interventions
MoCA as a Screening Test in SLE Assessing the utility of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) By Oshrat E. Tayer-Shifman, MD, Kimberley Yuen, BSc, MD, & Zahi Touma, MD, PhD, FACP, FACR Why was this study done? Cognitive impairment is a common manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with a prevalence of 40% based on…
Psoriatic Arthritis & the Obese Patient
Estimates from the National Psoriasis Foundation indicate that more than 8 million people in the U.S. suffer from psoriasis and that approximately 30% of those individuals develop psoriatic arthritis (PsA).1 Given these statistics, roughly 2.4 million people in the country are likely affected by PsA. Moreover, patients with this systemic condition carry a higher-than-average burden…
Exploring the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Rheumatology
I looked at the joints. They spoke back to me—”I need more humanism,” they whispered. To longtime readers, those two sentences may sound both familiar and alien, perhaps even a little humorous. That’s because those sentences were generated entirely by a computer using artificial intelligence (AI). It was simple, too: I just copied the text…
Speak Out Rheum: How Did We Go So Wrong with Opioid Prescribing?
I have been listening to The Fighter Pilot Podcast because my fantasy career would have been to fly a jet fighter plane (not even remotely possible, given my constitution). I learned that when an aircraft accident occurs, a mishap board is convened, not to assign blame but to try to learn what went wrong and…
Advocacy Highlights & Fall Treats: Reflections from the GAC Chair
Outgoing Government Affairs Committee Chair Blair Solow, MD, offers advocacy updates from 2022 and seasonal reflections on how to stay focused on efforts that matter when faced with daunting challenges.
With Deepest Gratitude: The ACR Appreciates Your Willing Service
We at the ACR acknowledge all ACR, ARP and Rheumatology Research Foundation volunteers whose committee terms are ending in November. Thank you for your valuable time and efforts toward advancing rheumatology during a challenging time. ACR: Board of Directors Kenneth G. Saag, MD, MSc; ACR President Barbara Slusher, MSW, PA-C; ARP President Anne R. Bass,…
ACR Praises House for Passing Prior Authorization Reform Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C.—On Sept. 14, the ACR praised the House of Representatives for overwhelmingly passing bipartisan legislation intended to make it easier for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries to access the timely care they need. The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (H.R. 3173) passed the House on a voice vote. If enacted, the bill will create…
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