We teach medical students, residents and fellows evidence-based medicine to lay the groundwork for rational prescribing and good clinical judgment. But should we stop our rheumatology fellows from interacting with pharmaceutical companies as part of this foundation? It is not surprising that pharmaceutical companies can influence physician prescribing through gifts. At least, it should not…
Two rheumatologists share why they became educators, the challenges they face and what keeps them teaching young physicians…
Coding properly and efficiently can have a profound effect on practice viability. ICD-10’s many changes, both ongoing and planned, have many physicians, coders and practice administrators confused, especially as the changes relate to clinical documentation improvement. To address this issue, a pre-symposium course on documentation and coding will be held in conjunction with the ACR’s…
(Reuters Health)—Days may get a lot longer for some doctors in training after the group that oversees medical education in the U.S. rolled back controversial rules limiting the number of hours first-year residents may work. Beginning July 1, doctors in their first year of training after medical school may once again care for patients for…
(Reuters Health)—Women and minorities face more barriers to getting ahead in their medical careers, both early in training and later on, researchers say. In one study, Dr. Julie Boiko of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues found that women are underrepresented among speakers at grand rounds. This was true for all but two…
Multi-system diseases have unique challenges. And Dr. Aryeh Fischer says that when treating patients with interstitial lung disease, pulmonologists and rheumatologists must better understand “how we [both] approach our shared diseases.”
SAN FRANCISCO—Interstitial lung disease (ILD) represents a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by inflammation or fibrosis of the lungs. The disorders are also associated with a spectrum of connective tissue diseases (CTDs). ILD is a common manifestation of CTDs, such as scleroderma, poly-/dermatomyositis and rheumatoid arthritis—and is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in…
Career changes can be difficult. But for Stanford Shoor, MD, leaving clinical practice and becoming an educator in the field of rheumatology has been “a renaissance.”
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Clinicians’ expectations of the benefits and harms of a wide range of treatments and tests are rarely accurate, according to a new study. “There was variation—with benefits and harms sometimes being overestimated and sometimes being underestimated; but there was a tendency for clinicians to more often underestimate (rather than overestimate) harms and…
Beverly Johnson, MD, has experienced exactly how rheumatologists and their patients benefit from musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging for the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune disease…