Mary Beth Nierengarten is a writer, editor and journalist with over 25 years of medical communications experience. She is a regular contributor to a number of online and print publications and writes in most clinical areas, as well as on health policy and economic issues. She lives in Minneapolis and can be reached at [email protected].
Since the Supreme Court ruling in June 2022 overturning 50 years of precedent protecting abortion as a constitutional right (Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization), states are enacting and implementing new laws to regulate abortion, and medical organizations and healthcare providers are assuming the large task of understanding what the new laws mean for their… [Read More]
Over the past decade, a number of pilot studies have provided proof of concept for the use of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) to treat rheumatic conditions. The studies represent an expansion of this treatment approach into rheumatology, building on years of scientific inquiry into the mechanisms of VNS on disease states that led to preclinical… [Read More]
The new standing committee, devoted to addressing long-term workforce solutions in rheumatology, will be chaired by Daniel F. Battafarano, DO, MACP, MACR. Dr. Battafarano brings more than 35 years of leadership and experience in graduate medical education in rheumatology and internal medicine to the position.... [Read More]
Dr. Neogi has returned to the ACR Committee on Quality of Care as its new chair after years of dedicated work developing classification criteria, outcome measures and treatment guidelines for rheumatoid arthritis, gout and other rheumatic diseases.... [Read More]
Like solving sudoku, planning the ACR annual meeting requires an ability to recognize patterns and employ focused logical thinking, all the while remaining undaunted by the various paths possible to complete a grid from what looks like, at initial glance, an incomprehensible labyrinth of options. The patterns in this situation are not numbers, but sessions,… [Read More]
ACR and ARP members converged on Capitol Hill in May to urge lawmakers to support legislation related to workforce expansion and patient access to care following training sessions presented by ACR staff dedicated to legislative affairs.... [Read More]
The growing rheumatologist workforce shortage has loomed over the profession, threatening to undercut the delivery of care to the increasing number of patients with rheumatic conditions. “The workforce shortage is an existential threat to the field of rheumatology and to the care we deliver to our patients,” says ACR President Kenneth Saag, MD, who lauded… [Read More]
Enabling rheumatology practices to use complex administration codes for biologic drugs is critical for maintaining patient access to essential therapies.... [Read More]
As chair of the Pediatric Rheumatology Special Committee, Colleen Correll, MD, MPH, is supporting efforts to increase the pediatric rheumatology workforce as a whole and pediatric rheumatology representation in the ACR.... [Read More]
Options to escalate treatment for refractory inflammatory myositis and new therapies in the pipeline are discussed.... [Read More]