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

Legislation & Advocacy

Lively, Practical Training at Advocacy 101

Leslie Mertz, PhD  |  

Amid spirited discussions on drug pricing and insurance challenges, participants got hands-on experience advocating for current bills regulating prior authorization and pharmacy benefit managers.

A Look Inside the Advocate Experience at Advocates for Arthritis

Eric Dein, MD  |  

Eric Dein, MD, shared rheumatology perspectives with five congressional offices on Sept. 28 as part of the virtual Hill Day. Read his hour-by-hour account, including staffer education, legislative requests and prior authorization woes.

Inspired by Healthcare Disparities to Advocate for Change

Leslie Mertz, PhD  |  

Seeing the challenges her rural patients faced in accessing specialty care, Amanda Schnell, MD, was inspired to make advocacy an integral part of her work at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Minnesota Joins Dakotas to Form Growing Rheumatology Association

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A relatively new state association, the Rheumatology Association of Minnesota and the Dakotas (RA-MD), held its first meeting in 2016. Five years later, the association president, Jody Hargrove, MD, a board-certified rheumatologist with Arthritis and Rheumatology Consultants PA, Edina, Minn., says the group’s membership fluctuates between 80 and 100 rheumatology professionals. RA-MD has members from…

A Look Back at the ACR’s Strong Response to COVID-19

David R. Karp, MD, PhD  |  

We are now a year-and-a-half into the COVID‑19 pandemic, and rheuma­tologists and rheuma­tology professionals are still facing some of the same challenges that began in spring 2020, as well as new ones. Most recently, we learned that COVID‑19 vaccine efficacy is reduced in some patients on immunosuppressive therapies and the need for additional immunization is…

Washington Pediatric Rheumatologists Eligible for Loan Forgiveness

Joseph Cantrell, JD  |  

The 2021–23 Washington budget enables consideration of pediatric rheumatologists for state loan forgiveness programs during the 2019–21 and 2021–23 cycles, making it the first state to include any rheumatologists in its loan forgiveness programs.

ACR Guidance on Tocilizumab Allocation During Shortage

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In June, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for tocilizumab (Actemra) for treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 adults and children who are receiving systemic corticosteroids and supplemental oxygen. Since this announcement, the tocilizumab manufacturer, Genentech, has not been able to produce enough product to meet the higher demand. The…

Kaitlyn Brittan, MD: ‘Advocacy Tells Me I Have a Voice’

Leslie Mertz, PhD  |  

Rheumatology advocacy added focus and purpose to Dr. Brittan’s medical training and now, in the rheumatology division at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, strengthens her relationships with colleagues and patients alike.