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

U.S. House Speaker Ryan Says Obamacare Replacement Plan Coming Next Year

Susan Cornwell  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday that Republicans next year will unveil a plan to replace President Barack Obama’s national healthcare program, widely known as Obamacare, in its entirety as part of a “pro-growth” Republican alternative to Democratic policies. “Next year, we are going to unveil a plan to replace every word…

NPs & PAs May Improve Care in Rheumatology Practices

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

A recent study examined the outcomes of care for RA patients provided by nurse practitioners or physician assistants working in tandem with rheumatologists, compared with that provided exclusively by rheumatologists. Over the two-year course of the study, results indicated that not only was care not compromised, but RA disease activity control may actually have been slightly better in these practices…

Annual Meeting Advocacy Recap

Will Harvey, MD  |  

Advocacy was front and center at the 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, and in case you missed something, Will Harvey, MD, provides a summary here…

Doctors in England Suspend Mass Walkout Until January after Talks

Reuters Staff  |  

LONDON (Reuters)—Doctors in Britain’s state-funded health service announced on the eve of a planned mass walkout they would suspend it until January after “conciliatory talks” with the government over new pay and conditions. The strike had been due to start on Tuesday, involving doctors in training, or junior doctors, who represent just over half of…

Mycophenolate Sodium Effective for Chronic Noninfectious Pediatric Uveitis

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Mycophenolate sodium (MPS) is effective for treating children with chronic noninfectious uveitis, researchers from Germany report. “Mycophenolate sodium could be used as a preferred steroid-sparing agent in children with chronic noninfectious intermediate uveitis,” Dr. Deshka Doycheva, from the University of Tuebingen, Germany, told Reuters Health by email. MPS is an enteric-coated formulation…

One-Year Data Shows Apremilast Effective in Severe Scalp, Nail Psoriasis

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Apremilast is effective in patients with difficult to treat psoriasis of the scalp and nails, according to long-term results of two phase 3 trials. Investigators had previously reported 16-week data from the Efficacy and Safety Trial Evaluating the Effects of Apremilast in Psoriasis (ESTEEM) 1 and 2 trials. The new report includes…

Idiopathic Lung Fibrosis—Check for ANCA

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New research recommends that doctors test the sera of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis for anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA), as well as closely monitor this population for signs of lung vasculitis…

2015 ACR Guideline for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

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“Treat to target regardless of disease activity level” tops the list of recommendations for both early and established RA in the 2015 Guideline for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. The guideline addresses six major topics, including DMARDs, glucocorticoids and biologics, and includes 74 recommendations. These recommendations are not prescriptive, and the treatment decisions should be made by physicians and patients together…

Five Charged in $600 million California Healthcare Fraud Scheme

Dan Whitcomb  |  

LOS ANGELES (Reuters)—The former chief financial officer of a California hospital and four other people have been charged in a series of health care kickback schemes that generated nearly $600 million in fraudulent billings for spinal surgeries, prosecutors said on Tuesday. All five defendants have agreed to cooperate in a wide-ranging federal investigation into the…