In 2016, as part of the Simple Tasks campaign, the ACR established September as Rheumatic Disease Awareness Month (RDAM) to draw attention to the 100-plus conditions under the rheumatic disease umbrella. The goal of RDAM is not only to raise public awareness, but also to increase understanding about the symptoms, risk factors, treatment options, economic…
With lawmakers home for the summer recess, you have the opportunity to meet with them in their local offices and help them understand how key legislation affects patients and healthcare providers. The ACR offers tools, resources and more to help.
In the proposed rule released July 13, the ACR is encouraged by the continued implementation of evaluation and management reimbursement adjustments to better reflect the work and expertise needed to treat complex patient populations, the extension of many telehealth flexibilities and the inclusion of the ACR’s proposed MACRA MIPS Value Pathway for rheumatology.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all rheumatology fellowship interviews conducted in the 2020 fellowship recruitment season were conducted in a virtual, video-based format to reduce the risks associated with travel and face-to-face meetings. In June 2020, the Coalition for Physician Accountability released guidance suggesting all programs commit to online-only interviews and recruitment events, even…
Over the past 18 months, the ACR’s Quality of Care (QOC) Committee has helped produce an impressive number of resources that will help rheumatologists deliver the best possible care. Working through specific projects supervised under its Criteria, Guideline, Guidance, and Quality Measure subcommittees, the QOC Committee has developed new sets of disease criteria, clinical guidelines,…
Beginning in the late 1800s, Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore, U.S. diplomat and writer, spent 24 years advocating for sakura, or Japanese cherry trees, to be planted in Washington, D.C. After unsuccessfully petitioning every U.S. Army Superintendent of Public Buildings and Grounds for over two decades, she wrote a letter to First Lady Helen Herron Taft about…
Some ACR members will be randomly selected to take an important survey to determine relative values for services in new outpatient consultation codes.
In spring 2020, as it became obvious that COVID-19 wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, the leaders of the Rheumatology Research Foundation implemented an expedited process to distribute research funding beyond its typical awards program. This resulted in the Foundation awarding $1.65 million to fund five research studies that will look at the relationships between rheumatic…
The new Twitter account enables quick communication between ACR advocacy staff and ACR/ARP members about the policies, regulations and legislation that affect rheumatology patients and providers and how members can get involved.
The ACR is advocating against policies that threaten patient access and disrupt practice workflow, including non-medical switching, tapering patients off biologics, specialty pharmacy acquisition mandates and site-of-service restrictions.