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

Knee Surgery for Pain May Not Be Worthwhile

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—Middle-aged and older adults with torn cartilage or painful arthritis in their knee are not likely to benefit from arthroscopic surgery, and could be harmed by it, a review of past studies hints. Researchers reviewed nine previous studies with a combined 1,270 patients and found the surgery no better than other options like exercise…

Second Indian Firm Under Fire for Shoddy Clinical Drug Trials

Ben Hirschler & Zeba Siddiqui  |  

LONDON/MUMBAI (Reuters)—Another Indian clinical research organization, Quest Life Sciences of Chennai, is in trouble over defective trials work, according to a warning issued by the World Health Organization. The action by the United Nations health agency follows an earlier scandal over drug testing at GVK Biosciences, which resulted in approvals for hundreds of generic drugs…

Many Healthcare Providers Come to Work Sick

Kathryn Doyle  |  

(Reuters Health)—Many doctors, nurses, midwives and physician assistants come to work sick even though they know it puts patients at risk, a new survey hints. Many said they don’t call in sick because they don’t want to let colleagues or patients down by taking a sick day, and they were concerned about finding staff to…

Rheumatology Community Applauds CMS Guidance Providing ICD-10 “Safe Harbor” Period, Encourages Further Action to Ensure Responsible Transition

American College of Rheumatology  |  

ATLANTA, Ga.—The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) today praised the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for issuing new guidance to provide a 12-month “safe harbor” period for physicians following the Oct. 1 implementation of the ICD-10 code set. The ACR has led legislative and grassroots efforts to responsibly address the transition to the…

E-Learning in Physiotherapy

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

A physiotherapy-specific, Web-based e-learning platform, “RAP-el,” was studied to determine its effectiveness in assisting physiotherapists with the best-practice management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It was shown to improve self-reported confidence, likely practice behaviors and satisfaction in physiotherapists’ ability to manage people with RA, and improve their clinical knowledge in several areas…

After Default, Fight Breaks Out Over Greek Medicine Supplies

Ben Hirschler  |  

LONDON (Reuters)—Wholesalers trading medicines across European borders have criticized a suggestion by manufacturers that Greek exports should be restricted to prevent shortages of life-saving drugs in the country. Such trade, which allows traders to buy products in low-cost markets and sell them where prices are higher, is allowed under EU free trade rules. But drugmakers…

EULAR 2015: What’s New in RA Research

  |  

ROME, Italy—Even with classification criteria that have been updated and refined over time, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is still a diagnosis that ultimately has to be made with clinical judgment, said Ronald van Vollenhoven, MD, PhD, professor of medicine and chief of clinical therapy research in inflammatory diseases at the Karolinska University in Sweden. His remarks…

EULAR 2015: The Biology of Fatigue

  |  

ROME, Italy—Fatigue, a problem experienced frequently by patients with rheumatic diseases, is best thought of as a survival mechanism and as a single phenomenon, not a condition that comes in a variety of forms, an expert said in a session at EULAR 2015, the annual congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR). Gene Regulated…