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

Ethics

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…

Ethics Forum: The Challenge of Multidisciplinary Care in Rheumatology

Kirk D. Jenkins, MD; Robert H. Shmerling, MD; Rebecca B. Yarrison, PhD; and Kristine M. Lohr, MD, MS  |  

A patient with autoimmune ocular disease raises concerns about the moral, professional obligations of rheumatologists to help patients whose condition is not clearly within the scope of rheumatology