Video: Superheroes, Secret Identities & You| Webinar: ACR/CHEST ILD Guidelines in Practice

An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

UnitedHealth Boosts Earnings Forecast, Set to Pass Price Discounts to Patients

Tamara Mathias and Caroline Humer  |  

July 18 (Reuters)—UnitedHealth Group Inc. will stick with its decision to pass on drug maker discounts to patients to help them beat rising medicine prices despite the U.S. government having withdrawn a similar proposed policy in its health programs, its top executive said on Thursday. “You can expect us not to change our stance on…

Top 2020 Contenders Snipe over Healthcare Policy

John Whitesides  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden and rival Bernie Sanders are waging a public battle this week over universal healthcare, staking out competing turf on an issue that has become the most divisive in the party’s primary campaign. The sniping between the two White House contenders, highlighted on Wednesday when Sanders delivered a…

Sign Up for RISE to Report for MIPS in 2019

  |  

Join RISE by Aug. 31 to be ready for 2019 MIPS reporting. The MIPS payment adjustment increases to plus or minus 7 percent this year, so it’s never been more important to make sure you are ready to report your best performance. RISE staff are here to assist you with the submission process so you…

Tap the ACR/ARP’s Practice Management Resources

  |  

The ACR/ARP’s practice management division actively works to offer rheumatologists and their staff valuable, accessible resources to address practice issues. Our trained professionals provide the most up-to-date tools and resources to help improve practice efficiency and meet the myriad compliance obligations of the ever-changing healthcare landscape. The Practice Management Resource Center can assist with such…

Exercise Therapy Benefits Patients with Knee & Hip OA

  |  

A meta-analysis confirms prior research suggesting exercise therapy benefits patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA). The study found greater improvements in pain, function, performance and quality of life in patients with milder, as opposed to more severe, OA…

ACR’s Delegation to the AMA: How We Can Continue to Advance Rheumatology

Gary Bryant, MD, FACR  |  

The House of Delegates (HOD) is the policy-making body of the American Medical Association (AMA), and twice a year, representatives of all seated specialties, service societies and state medical associations review hundreds of resolutions to determine which will become AMA policies. Once those policies and priorities are determined or updated, we benefit from the AMA…

Step Therapy Legislation in the States: Navigating a Varied & Complex System

Joseph Cantrell, JD  |  

As the practice of step therapy grows more pervasive throughout the insurance industry, the protocols become increasingly confusing to navigate. Steps vary from insurer to insurer based on plan type, and formulary differences are too often based on economic incentives rather than outcome-based medicine. Patients are often left hanging in the balance while physicians’ offices…

White House Scraps Proposal to Lower U.S. Drug Prices

Caroline Humer  |  

(Reuters)—The Trump administration on Thursday scrapped one of its most ambitious proposals for lowering prescription medicine prices, backing down from a policy that would have required health insurers to pass on billions of dollars in rebates they receive from drugmakers to Medicare patients. The decision represents a new setback to President Donald Trump’s efforts to…