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

ABIM Announcement: Alternative MOC Assessment Starting January 2018

  |  

The American Board of Internal Medicine announced plans to offer a new Maintenance of Certification (MOC) assessment for internal medicine—and possibly other specialties—starting January 2018. Specific details are expected by Dec. 31, 2016, following a public comment period. The ACR will continue to push for access to clinical decision-making tools as an open-book, take-home assessment or for continuing medical education activities with assessment components to be considered appropriate options…

Autoantibodies in Pregnant Woman May Put Infant at Risk for Neonatal Lupus Erythematosus

  |  

A recent case study revealed that an infant from a donor egg developed neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE) and a congenital heart block, which may have been due to the presence of antibodies to Ro and La in the birth mother—not the genetic mother. The results suggest that a gestational mother with a history of autoimmune disease is sufficient to trigger the pathology of NLE…

TNF Blocking Drugs Persist in Infants after Exposure In-Utero

Anne Harding  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Babies born to mothers who took anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agents during pregnancy have detectable drug in their bodies up to 12 months of age, new findings show. These infants should therefore not receive live vaccines during their first year of life, Dr. Mette Julsgaard of Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark and…

Drug Company Gifts Linked to Doctors’ Prescribing Habits

Andrew M. Seaman  |  

(Reuters Health)—Doctors who receive payments or gifts from pharmaceutical companies are more likely to prescribe brand name medications, a new study suggests. Dr. James Yeh, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and colleagues write May 9 online in JAMA Internal Medicine that some states require doctors to report what they receive from drug companies….

U.K. Cost Body Finally Approves Limited Use of GSK’s Lupus Drug

Reuters Staff  |  

LONDON (Reuters)—Britain’s healthcare cost watchdog has finally approved GlaxoSmithKline’s lupus drug Benlysta (belimumab) for limited use, after rejecting it since 2011 on the grounds that it failed to offer good value for money. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said on Tuesday that the drug would be made available under a managed…

U.S. Probes Contracts Between Drugmakers, Pharmacy Benefit Managers

Reuters Staff  |  

(Reuters)—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is investigating contracts between drugmakers and companies that manage prescription benefits, according to regulatory filings. Federal prosecutors have approached at least three companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co. and Endo International Plc., demanding information about their contracts with pharmacy benefit managers. Pharmacy…

Inefficient Prescribing Costs Billions of Healthcare Dollars

Andrew M. Seaman  |  

(Reuters Health)—In the U.S. between 2010 and 2012, nearly $73 billion was spent on brand name medications instead of less expensive alternatives, according to a new study. A large portion of that money was spent by patients, the researchers found. “Prescription drug prescribing during the time of this paper was not efficient and still isn’t…

Medicare Telemedicine Underuse May Not Be Due to Reimbursement Policies

Marilyn Larkin  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Contrary to previous research, mandating commercial insurance reimbursement of telemedicine was not associated with faster growth in Medicare telemedicine use, according to a newly published study. Dr. Ateev Mehrotra of Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues examined trends in telemedicine utilization by Medicare from 2004–2013 using claims from a 20% random sample…