SAN FRANCISCO—“Interstitial lung disease is the last bastion of great medicine,” according to Paul Noble, MD, chair, Department of Medicine, director, Women’s Guild Lung Institute, Vera and Paul Guerin Distinguished Chair in Pulmonary Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles. Making it great medicine, he said, are the many things still unknown about this disease. In…
SAN FRANCISCO—Two hundred years ago, physicians knew nothing about what caused various forms of arthritis. Today, we have more clues about what may trigger rheumatic diseases, but still can’t pinpoint the culprits that set scores of inflammatory conditions in motion. Researchers discussed some of the background and recent findings that point to what immunologists call…
The ACR advocates on behalf of rheumatologists, rheumatology health professionals and the rheumatology community through involvement in federal and state legislation and regulatory action, participation in hearings and education of lawmakers on issues important to rheumatologists, health professionals and patients. Through robust federal and state advocacy programs, the ACR engages lawmakers and informs them of…
It’s easier than ever to become a part of advocacy efforts at the federal and state levels. Visit the ACR’s new Legislative Action Center to send a personalized message to your lawmakers, asking them to give patients access to treatments, to provide funding for biomedical research and to prevent insurer practices from interfering with treatment…
It’s a scenario that occurs all too often. After you tell someone you’re a rheumatologist, you receive that look—the blank stare, as if you’ve spoken to them in a foreign language. Six years ago, this scenario sparked a conversation among the ACR’s leaders about the importance of promoting our profession to the public, including key…
I am honored, humbled and excited to serve as your ACR president. I’d like to share the following background information to illustrate the diverse set of life experiences I draw from to represent the ACR membership effectively. Personal Background Thanks to my mom, who was born and raised in Guatemala, I am bilingual in Spanish…
San Francisco is known for the Gold Rush, so it’s a particularly fitting place to collect a gold nugget. And so at the 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in the Golden Gate City in November, the ACR and the ARHP honored a group of distinguished individuals who have made significant contributions to rheumatology research, education and…
Gout affects nearly 4% of American adults, causing joint inflammation, pain and crystal deposits that may lead to bone erosion over time. At least five different classification criteria for gout are used worldwide, creating potential discrepancies in clinical trial enrollment and eventual results. An international panel of investigators collaborated to create new, standardized gout classification…
As a practicing rheumatologist, I have experienced the increasing payer and government involvement shaping our evolving healthcare system. New payment models, changes in health insurance coverage, the federal mandate for the adoption of electronic health records and the implementation of ICD-10 are recent changes that have rocked our world. Our patients are also paying the…
Recent updates to criteria used for diagnosing neuromyelitis optica (NMO) are aimed at helping physicians make the differential diagnosis of this disorder differentiating it from other inflammatory disorders—a diagnosis that can be difficult given the presenting symptoms that can mimic a number of other conditions, such as multiple sclerosis. Published in July 2015, the new…