Video: Superheroes, Secret Identities & You| Webinar: ACR/CHEST ILD Guidelines in Practice

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

Guidance

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Figure 2: High-resolution computed tomography showed evidence of interstitial lung disease.

High-resolution computed tomography shows evidence of ILD.

The ACR/CHEST ILD Guidelines in Practice, a video
In collaboration with the American College of Chest Physicians, the ACR released two new comprehensive guidelines aimed at improving the screening, monitoring, and treatment of patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) secondary to systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs). Recently, Sindhu R. Johnson, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, Canada, director of the Toronto Scleroderma Program and principal investigator for the guideline, and Elana J. Bernstein, MD, MSc, Florence Irving associate professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at Columbia University, New York City, and co-first author, presented a webinar to talk about how the guidelines were developed and present some of the recommendations and their rationale: Watch the recording now!

 

Unless Congress Acts, Medicare Reimbursement Will Remain Flat or Drop in 2025

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The 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule, released Nov. 1, includes a conversion factor of $32.3465, a 2.83% drop from 2024. In response to advocacy efforts from the ACR and other medical societies, Congress recently introduced the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2024, which would eliminate the 2.83% payment cut and provide an inflationary update for 2025 equal to 50% of the Medicare Economic Index.

2024 Election Summary, Outlook for the Lame Duck Session & the New Congress

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With a likely Republican majority in the House and Senate and a Republican president, there may be a sense that the party has a mandate to lead initiatives and enact significant policy changes. Any end-of-year legislative package will be narrower than initially expected, but the ACR’s top priority remains addressing cuts to physician reimbursements.

AC&R Study Summary: Standardizing Treatment for Moderately Severe JDM

By Matthew A. Sherman, MD, MHSc, & Stacey E. Tarvin, MD, MS  |  

Why was this study done? Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is the most common type of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy in childhood, and most patients have a chronic disease course requiring prolonged administration of systemic glucocorticoids and immunosuppressive agents. The initial management for patients with moderately severe JDM is relatively standardized, typically including methotrexate and systemic glucocorticoids with…