Meanwhile, the ACR and ATAP will be asking the federal government for clear definitions of the rebates and fees that PBMs use in their business practices as a first step toward forcing transparency and, ultimately, reforming the system.
Finally, I’ve got to give a shout out to Mattie Feldman, MD, the national leader on PBM reform, seen in this photo giving her outstanding lecture on PBMs to ACR Advocates for Arthritis in September.
Thanks to those who have read this far—and if you did, you understand the high-stakes challenges and opportunities your advocacy team and all of us are facing. No doubt you’re fired up to get involved, and that’s great because we need all of us working to protect the rheumatology subspecialty and our patients’ access to care and treatment. Your personal involvement is needed and appreciated.
A happy Thanksgiving to all!
Angus Worthing, MD, FACP, FACR, chair, Government Affairs Committee, is a practicing rheumatologist in the Washington, D.C., metro area and clinical assistant professor of medicine at Georgetown University.
