Frustrated with policies he viewed as obstacles to optimal patient care, Howard Yang, MD, RhMSUS, tried advocacy as a way to turn those feelings into positive action—an eye-opening and rewarding experience he strongly recommends.

Leslie Mertz, PhD |
Frustrated with policies he viewed as obstacles to optimal patient care, Howard Yang, MD, RhMSUS, tried advocacy as a way to turn those feelings into positive action—an eye-opening and rewarding experience he strongly recommends.
Lisa Rapaport |
(Reuters Health)—Total knee replacement surgery can be a cost-effective procedure for patients with severe obesity and osteoarthritis (OA), even when they also have comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests. Researchers did a cost-benefit analysis for two patient populations (over 65 years, and age 50 to 65) who had…
In a recent study, researchers designed an intervention centered on communication and led by nurses to address discontinuation rates among patients who had switched to a biosimilar. The nurses’ insight and experience reduced the nocebo effect during the intervention, which had an 84% retention rate for patients taking a biosimilar after one year.
Introduced in the Senate on Feb. 25, the bill would amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act to provide a clear process and circumstances for requesting medical exceptions to step therapy protocols.
Between April and December 2020, many eligible healthcare providers received or applied for payments from the $175 billion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act Provider Relief Fund (PRF) through the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). On Dec.27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the Appropriations Act) was signed into law,…
Blair Solow, MD, & Zachary Wallace, MD, MSc |
To say it has been an interesting (the science and the memes), tumultuous (the politics) and heartbreaking (the pandemic and social injustice) year is an understatement. There have been moments of grace and inspiration that we hope have kept everyone going. As we look to 2021, we take lessons from our experiences in 2020. Washington,…
Hiral Master, PT, PhD, MPH, Teresa J. Brady, PhD, Aileen Ledingham, PT, MS, PhD, & Carole Dodge, OT, CHT, on behalf of the ARP eLearning Subcommittee |
The ARP’s revised Fundamentals of Rheumatology Course (FRC) will soon be released on the ACR website. The course was revamped by interdisciplinary rheumatology professionals emphasizing an inter-professional approach to patient care. It is intended to reach a broad audience, including nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists, physical therapists, psychologists and social workers to name a few. However,…
Zach Wallace, MD, MSc |
With a new Congress and many new legislators in key leadership positions, your support today will help RheumPAC start the year off strong.
Blair Solow, MD |
As a new year begins, Government Affairs Committee Chair Blair Solow, MD, takes stock of ACR advocacy wins in 2020 and issues to watch in 2021, including workforce issues, continued telemedicine access, prior authorization relief, Medicare reimbursement and drug pricing.
Marcus Snow, MD, FACR, had his first exposure to rheumatology in a rotation during his residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha. James O’Dell, MD, Theodore Mikuls, MD, Jay Moore, MD, Lynn Klassen, MD, and other physicians showed how rheumatology could be the perfect mix of a narrow clinical focus with interesting patient…