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An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Ethics

Ethics Forum: Personal Ethics Questions Surrounding RheumPAC Donations

Matthew L. Mundwiler, MD, & Robert H. Shmerling, MD  |  

Imagine you’ve just heard a compelling presentation urging all ACR members to contribute to RheumPAC, the ACR’s political action committee. RheumPAC’s mission is to support politicians who support issues important to rheumatologists. You are impressed by the role RheumPAC has played in a number of issues you support. Just as you’re writing a check, you…

Engaging Patients to Enhance Rheumatology Research

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It takes a great deal of time and money to produce clinical practice guidelines for rheumatic diseases. No matter how well a treatment inhibits inflammatory cytokines, it won’t lower disease activity without one essential factor: patient compliance. “You can’t propose a treatment algorithm in your research that no patient would actually use,” says Veena Ranganath,…

On Research Review Boards, Conflict-of-Interest Reporting Improves

Kathryn Doyle  |  

(Reuters Health)—Many doctors who serve on hospital panels overseeing the ethics and safety of human research trials have industry relationships that may compromise their objectivity, but reporting these conflicts has become more common over the past 10 years, according to a new study. Physicians who serve on so-called institutional review boards (IRBs) may also be…

Authorities Arrest 243 People in $712 Million Medicare Fraud

Megan Cassella  |  

(Reuters)—The U.S. Department of Justice said on Thursday that 243 people have been arrested across the country, charged with submitting fake billing for Medicare, a government healthcare program, that totaled $712 million. Attorney General Loretta Lynch described the arrests as the largest criminal healthcare fraud takedown in the history of the Justice Department. Those arrested…

Ethics Forum: Plagiarism in EMRs Saves Time, But Can Raise Risk of Errors

Jane S. Kang, MD, & Robert H. Shmerling, MD  |  

Case You’ve been asked to see an inpatient for a rheumatologic consultation. After seeing the patient, you enter an initial consult note in the electronic medical record (EMR). The next day, when you write a follow-up note for this patient, you copy part of your assessment and plan from your prior note. Soon after you…