The FDA has authorized a phase 3 clinical trial examining the safety and efficacy of tocilizumab plus standard care in patients hospitalized with COVID-19…
On April 1, UnitedHealthcare (UHC) announced updates to its Orencia policy, effective July 1, 2020. The change requires patients to fail to respond to the self-administered formulation of this drug prior to obtaining authorization for the physician-administered product. The ACR has been in communication with UHC about this policy since October 2019, when the payer…
A case study of a 7-year-old girl who is eventually diagnosed with anti-MOG autoimmune encephalomyelitis highlights the necessity of a multi-disciplinary approach to inflammatory brain disease…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic has raised concerns about whether biologic therapy could make psoriasis patients more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19. Mark Lebwohl, MD, from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and colleagues address this issue in a letter in the Journal of the…
PARIS (Reuters)—Sanofi SA will be able to provide millions of doses of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for patients with the illness caused by the novel coronavirus if the old malaria drug proves successful in clinical trials, its chief executive tells Reuters on Thursday. Paul Hudson, who became CEO of the French drugmaker in September, said in an…
The Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) announced last week an extension of the 2019 Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) reporting deadline to 8 p.m. EDT on Thursday, April 30. The extreme and uncontrollable circumstances policy has also been updated to automatically apply to any MIPS-eligible providers who do not submit data by the…
The outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is disrupting rheumatology clinics and practices all over the world. In the U.S., many providers are turning to telemedicine to care for their patients, but struggles remain. Philip A. Waller, MD, who practices at Accurate Clinical Research, Houston, spoke with The Rheumatologist about how the pandemic is affecting his…
Rheumatology practices are being hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The sustainability of practices is being threatened and patient access to care is being reduced. The $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act has numerous provisions that bring much-needed support to physicians and their practices. This includes $100 billion for healthcare providers, including physician…