I’m a believer in blue light. I’ve spent years lecturing my insomniac patients, buzzed on prednisone, on the importance of good sleep hygiene. In my own home, I try to practice what I preach. When I’m ready for bed, I leave my laptop and phone on my nightstand, and concentrate on relaxing. If I can’t…
The COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) has been extended, effective April 21. The Biden administration has indicated it will likely extend the PHE through the end of the year.
As more people get vaccinated for COVID-19, there’s hope that the long days of a pandemic, which has claimed more than 2.5 million lives globally and 500,000 in the U.S., will soon draw to a close and allow daily life to return to normal. However, for some people, this recovery may take longer, because the…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—U.K. experts propose evidence-based management strategies for rheumatology patients on immunosuppressive therapy, including delaying/postponing rituximab, as appropriate. “The aim of this viewpoint article is to outline the existing data on the effect of anti-rheumatic therapy on vaccine responses in patients with inflammatory arthritis and to formulate a possible pragmatic strategy for the…
State-level wins that ensure immunosuppressed patients can access COVID-19 vaccination show the power of coordinated efforts by volunteer leaders, staff and members to translate the ACR’s work into actionable public policy recommendations, then amplify those messages through member engagement.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reopened the Extreme & Uncontrollable Circumstances application and indicated they will automatically apply the policy to individuals who do not submit data for 2020 Merit-based Incentive Payment System.
Each state has different requirements for residents to obtain a coronavirus vaccination, with some allowing preregistration and others coordinating vaccinations via employers or the local health department. Below, we list some online resources created to help people determine whether they qualify for coronavirus vaccination and where they should go to schedule an appointment, broken down…
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—In a year like no other, the 2020 virtual ACR Convergence was a meeting like no other. Nonetheless, the meeting introduced a healthy mix of clinical insights and take-home pearls, according to panelists in the meeting’s closing session, Bright Future: Discovery & Growth. In this session, panelists discussed some of the biggest news…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The German Society for Rheumatology (DGRh) has updated its guidelines to reflect the recent impact of the pandemic, noting among its key changes that immunosuppressive medications should not be changed solely for fear of SARS-CoV-2 infection.1 The update is based on evidence from scientific data from registries, cross-sectional studies, case reports and…
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319) on March 10, 2021, after Senate passage on March 6. President Biden signed the bill into law on March 11. Following is the ACR’s summary of the most impactful provisions of this third COVID-19 relief package. Fighting COVID-19 $160 billion…