Greetings, Advocates! Great news for the rheumatology community came on Feb. 9, when the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 was enacted. It contains several critical healthcare fixes pertinent to rheumatology. First, after hundreds of emails, meetings, letters to the editor, an op-ed, and a forceful 109-member coalition (led by the ACR and including many state…
Articles by Cindy Devone-Pacheco
Diclofenac Patch, Piroxicam Most Effective Topical NSAIDs for Osteoarthritis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Diclofenac patches appear to be the most effective topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for osteoarthritis (OA), according to a new systematic review and network meta-analysis. “Topical NSAIDs were effective and safe for OA,” Dr. Weiya Zhang of the University of Nottingham and City Hospital in the UK and colleagues write. “However, confirmation…
Blacks in U.S. Lose Quality of Life Due to Fewer Knee Replacements
(Reuters Health)—Black people with knee osteoarthritis may have a worse quality of life than white patients in part because they’re less likely to be offered knee replacement surgery or to get the procedure when it’s recommended, a U.S. study suggests. Knee replacement surgery has the potential to greatly relieve suffering from severe joint pain that…
U.S. to Extend Skimpy Health Insurance Outside of Obamacare
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters)—The U.S. government on Tuesday proposed extending the availability of skimpy health insurance plans to millions of Americans in another Trump administration move aimed at undercutting the requirements of the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a proposed rule that such plans, now available…
Baricitinib Also Appears Effective in Biologic-Refractory RA
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The selective Janus kinase 1 and 2 inhibitor baricitinib appears also to help patients whose rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has not responded adequately to biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, according to results from the RA-BEACON randomized trial. The previously published overall results from RA-BEACON showed that baricitinib-treated patients had significantly better functional and clinical…
Patients with Gout May Be More Likely to Develop Osteoporosis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—People with gout face a modestly increased risk, of about 20%, for developing osteoporosis, compared to people without gout, researchers in Taiwan suggest. In their population-based study to examine a possible association between gout and subsequent osteoporosis, Dr. Victor C. Kok of Asia University (Taiwan), Taichung, and colleagues retrospectively analyzed data from…
Persistent Pain Merits Better Access to Psychosocial Care, Group Says
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—People with persistent pain need better access to psychosocial care, according to a position statement from the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM). “Psychosocial approaches to pain management need to be available for all individuals with persistent pain in all healthcare settings,” Dr. E. Amy Janke from the University of the Sciences, in…
U.S. Healthcare Spending to Climb 5.3 Percent in 2018
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—United States health spending is projected to rise 5.3% in 2018, reflecting rising prices of medical goods and services and higher Medicaid costs, a U.S. government health agency said on Wednesday, an upward trend it forecasts for the next decade. The increase represents a sharp uptick from 2017 spending, which the U.S. Centers for…
Rheumatologist Shortage Looms Amid Surging Patient Demand
(Reuters Health)—A growing number of patients are seeking care from rheumatologists for chronic health problems like arthritis, back pain and osteoporosis, just as the supply of specialists is shrinking, two new studies suggest. An estimated 6,013 clinicians in the U.S. specialized in rheumatology as of 2015, the equivalent of 5,415 full-time providers, according to one…
U.S. Senate Votes to Confirm Azar as Health Secretary
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm former pharmaceutical industry executive and lobbyist Alex Azar as the next Health and Human Services secretary. Azar will oversee the Trump administration’s response to the opioid epidemic, its efforts to weaken the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, and address rising prescription drug prices. The Senate…
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