ATLANTA—The rheumatology profession faces a severe shortfall of practitioners that threatens the ability to address patients’ needs. “Even if we doubled the number of positions for fellowship training, we wouldn’t meet the increasing demand on our workforce,” said Marcy B. Bolster, MD, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston, and director of the…
ATLANTA—The potential of cannabis‐based medicines is a hot topic, particularly as pain management therapy for arthritis and other conditions. However, confusion abounds regarding its therapeutic potential, how it can be administered and even the correct terminology to use. David P. Finn, PhD, professor of pharmacology and therapeutics, and founding co-director of the Centre for Pain…
ATLANTA—The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), headquartered in New York City, uses community-based participatory research (CBPR) models to develop patient programs. One popular self-help program for arthritis patients evolved from a different initiative focused on orthopedic pain management, according to speakers in a session at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting. According to Titilayo Ologhobo, MPH,…
ATLANTA—Point-of-care ultrasound education mainly has occurred at the undergraduate level at U.S. medical schools, but rheumatology fellowship training programs are rapidly catching up and integrating it into their curricula, according to two program directors who reviewed the state of rheumatology ultrasound education, including potential barriers to its implementation, on Nov. 12 at the 2019 ACR/ARP…
In a study in Arthritis Care & Research, researchers showed an indirect association between osteoarthritis (OA) and sleep health in older men.1 In those participants with OA, the condition is associated with poorer sleep health, as well as a 16% higher incidence of elevated C-reactive protein and 12% higher odds of having elevated interleukin 6….
As the medications for rheumatology become more expensive, the need for patient financial assistance becomes paramount. Unfortunately, commercially insured patients are finding it difficult to afford the exorbitant copays required by their plans, and the latest strategy of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) threatens to derail rheumatologic treatment goals. High deductible plans combined with copay accumulator…
In Arkansas, where according to the Arthritis Foundation 672,000 people live with arthritis, it’s not unusual for patients to travel at least 100 miles to see a rheumatologist.1 Michael Saitta, MD, a rheumatologist at the Arthritis Center of the Ozarks, Fayetteville, and president of the Arkansas Rheumatology Association (ARA), says patient access is a huge…
The Johns Hopkins Lupus Center, Baltimore, has described its experience using hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) levels.1 Forty-four percent of its patients had levels below 500 ng/mL (partial nonadherence); 13% were severely nonadherent (<200 ng/mL). They were shown their results and educated on HCQ adherence. Adherence then improved to 80%; those with lower HCQ levels had higher disease…
“Greetings of the day!” My email account used to be flooded by these cheerful salutations, referring to me as an esteemed colleague or a thought leader. I have to admit: at first, I enjoyed receiving these messages. Normally, when I log into my email account, I’m greeted by messages—punctuated by red, capital letters—that announce dire…
ACR representatives updated members on recent insurance issues…