Video: Every Case Tells a Story| Webinar: ACR/CHEST ILD Guidelines in Practice

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

Advocating for CMMI Reform, Looking Ahead to Alternative Payment Models

  |  

The work of health policy reform is a marathon, not a sprint. The ACR is encouraged by the forward progress being made in collaboration with the American Medical Association and other physician-led organizations within the Healthcare Leaders for Accountable Innovation in Medicare and Medicaid coalition (known as the AIM coalition) to advocate for physicians’ ability…

Rheumatology Drug Updates: Sirukumab Promising for RA, Plus Efficacy Duration of Ustekinumab for Plaque Psoriasis

  |  

Sirukumab Promising for RA Sirukumab, an investigational human monoclonal antibody that selectively binds to the interleukin (IL) 6 cytokine, has completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, Phase 3 clinical trial (SIRROUND-T) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).1 During the trial, which took place between July 25, 2012, and Jan. 12, 2016, researchers randomized adult patients…

Board Games Expand Rheumatologist’s Social Network, Keep Players’ Minds Sharp

  |  

On many Saturday evenings, Kaleb Michaud, PhD, saves the world from pandemics, harvests barrels of coffee beans to sell at market or helps King Brandur recover the fabled Runic DragonStones. Dr. Michaud, an associate professor in the division of rheumatology and immunology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha and also co-director of…

5 Easy-to-Implement Quality Improvement Projects for Rheumatology Practices

  |  

Quality assurance and quality improvement (QA/QI) work makes sense to focus on. However, finding the time and resources for QI projects is not always easy. Until now, the business case for QI in rheumatology practice has not always been clear. However, this is changing with implementation of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA)…

Experimental Drug Combination Curbs Chikungunya Arthritis in Mice

Bryn Nelson, PhD  |  

Doctors have had few options to treat the chronic rheumatoid arthritis-like symptoms associated with chikungunya virus infections beyond over-the-counter pain relievers. A recent study in Science Translational Medicine has spurred new optimism by finding that a combination therapy—the anti-rheumatic drug abatacept paired with a chikungunya-neutralizing monoclonal antibody—abolished acute symptoms in infected mice.1 The strategy must…

Medical Schools Address Bias, Diversity, Inclusion in Variety of Ways

  |  

“What are you?” A faculty member at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine posed this question to a resident while attending rounds. Both were portraying a scene involving micro-aggression during Differences Matter, a three-day orientation for first-year medical students. On the program’s first day, students are introduced to unconscious bias and…

Rheumatologists Respond to Prescription Opioid Analgesic Crisis

Larry Beresford  |  

The alarming statistics on prescription opioid overdoses are well known to medical professionals, thanks to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s widely cited finding that deaths from opioid analgesics have increased fourfold since 1999.1 Half of all fatal drug overdoses now involve opioids prescribed by a doctor. Meanwhile, a lack of rigorous research…

The ARHP Practice Committee Develops Case Study of a Typical Patient with RA

Karen Duclon, MSN, ARNP, on behalf of the ARHP Practice Committee  |  

What does a new patient experience as symptoms develop and diagnosis is confirmed? Who is involved in the care of a newly diagnosed patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)? The ARHP Practice Committee has developed a case study that will help answer these questions . Meet Joy G., a 48-year-old woman with RA. Follow Joy through…

Fellows’ Forum: Why Rheumatology Fellows Should Get Involved with Advocacy

Alexandra Perel-Winkler, MD, & Christopher A. Mecoli, MD  |  

Introduction Interest in rheumatology continues to grow, with more than 240 new adult and pediatric fellows to begin their training in the coming academic year. Given the broad and diverse career opportunities, it is an ACR goal to help guide trainees in their career decisions and professional development. Rheumatology fellowship often marks the transition from…