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

Benchmark 2017 Healthcare.gov Premiums Up 25%

Reuters Staff  |  

(Reuters)—The average premium for benchmark 2017 Obamacare insurance plans sold on Healthcare.gov rose 25% compared with 2016, according to the U.S. government on Monday, the biggest increase since the insurance first went on sale in 2013 for the following year. The average monthly premium for the benchmark plan is rising to $302 from $242 in…

Otulipenia: From Inflammatory Case Studies to Treatment

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Otulipenia is a recently discovered autoinflammatory disease caused by germline mutations, which results in dysregulated ubiquitination in patients. In a small-scale study, researchers used exome sequencing and candidate gene screening to identify three different loss-of-function mutations in the OTULIN/FAM105B gene in patients…

Type 1 Diabetes Often Comes with Other Autoimmune Diseases

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—People with type 1 diabetes often develop other autoimmune disorders, such as thyroid and gastrointestinal diseases, and a recent study yields new information about this link. In the study, 27% of patients with type 1 diabetes had at least one other autoimmune disorder. But the new study also held some surprises about how early…

Cigna Ends Preauthorization Requirement to Treat Opioid Addiction

Reuters Staff  |  

(Reuters)—Health insurer Cigna Corp. has discontinued its policy of requiring doctors to seek authorization before treating opioid addicts, as part of a fight against an epidemic of opioid abuse, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said on Friday. The policy change will apply nationally, says Schneiderman, who has been pushing for easier access to treatments…

Denosumab Linked to Rebound-Associated Fractures in Nine Patients

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Patients can develop rebound-associated vertebral fractures after stopping denosumab, a new report of nine cases shows. All of the patients were considered to be at low risk of fracture, and the fractures occurred within nine to 16 months of their last injection, Dr. Olivier Lamy and colleagues from Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland…

Gene Expression Identifies Two Crohn’s Disease Subtypes

Will Boggs, MD  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Gene expression and chromatin accessibility can be used to identify two Crohn’s disease (CD) molecular subclasses that match distinct disease phenotypes, researchers report. “The hope one day is to be able to test Crohn’s patients for the subtype of the disease they have, and thus determine which treatment should work best,” Dr….

Designate a Data Expert for Your Practice

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With Medicare and insurers now incentivizing physicians for collecting and reporting data, rheumatologists need at least a minimum understanding of the gigabytes of information flowing through their practices. Actually, every medical practice should have at least one person with some informatics expertise, according to computer-programmer-turned-rheumatologist Jeffrey Curtis, MD, MS, MPH. “Physicians need to be more…

Spotlight on ACR Committee Appointments

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At the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), volunteer leaders play an essential role in achieving the College’s goals in Advancing Rheumatology! This year, 64 new volunteers were appointed to serve on ACR Standing Committees. The College would like to extend a special thank you to these individuals who join other volunteer leaders in making a difference…

Choose the Right EHR the 1st Time

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With so many electronic health record (EHR) systems on the market, it can be difficult to decide which one to choose. You may want to ask your peers for recommendations, visit practices that are using a system you’re contemplating and consider advice in trade journals. Jeffrey G. Lawson, MD, physician, Piedmont Arthritis Clinic, Greenville, S.C.,…