On Sept. 1, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it is requiring revisions to the Boxed Warning for the Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors Xeljanz/Xeljanz XR (tofacitinib), Olumiant (baricitinib) and Rinvoq (upadacitinib) to include information about the risks of serious heart-related events, cancer, blood clots and death.1 Recommendations for healthcare professionals will include…
As insurers phase out pandemic-related flexibilities, many are raising new obstacles to try to limit their financial exposure.
Leslie Kahl, MD, on Coaching I have been an academic clinician-educator for my entire career and, like most of my colleagues, have been called upon to advise, mentor and coach countless trainees and junior faculty members. Unlike most clinician-educators, though, I also served as associate dean for student affairs at Washington University School of Medicine,…
Amid rising drug costs and the growing influence of pharmacy benefit managers on patient care decisions, physicians are increasingly called upon to advocate for affordable, evidence-based treatments for their patients.
One thing that became clear very quickly this past year was that the COVID-19 pandemic would change the way we deliver care to patients. What has not changed amid an evolving healthcare landscape is our driving focus to ensure our patients’ access to rheumatology care and the availability of state-of-the-art treatments. We know you share…
The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (H.R. 3173) will require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to regulate the use of prior authorization by Medicare Advantage plans and establish a process to make real-time decisions for services that are routinely approved. Ask your Congressperson today to support providers and patients and join the more than 100 representatives who are co-sponsoring the bill.
As of April 2021, Medicare requires the use of the JA or JB modifier when billing for drugs that have one Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System Level II (J or Q) code but multiple routes of administration.
Spurred by a recent Cigna policy, the ACR will lead a resolution to oppose insurance companies providing financial incentives for patients to switch treatments. Several specialties are cosponsoring the resolution for a special meeting of the AMA House of Delegates in June.
A new Medscape survey found that rheumatology has the second-highest burnout level among the 29 specialties included, with 50% of the rheumatology respondents saying they’re experiencing “burnout.” To which some rheumatologists are responding: Really? “I was quite surprised by this,” says Beth Jonas, MD, chief of the Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology Division at the University…
The new Twitter account enables quick communication between ACR advocacy staff and ACR/ARP members about the policies, regulations and legislation that affect rheumatology patients and providers and how members can get involved.