Nationally, opioid use and addiction are drawing increased scrutiny. An increase in the number of overdoses and addiction to heroin and prescription pain relievers in the past decade has been attributed in part to increased prescribing of opioids for the treatment of pain by physicians. National trends suggest the rate of opioid prescribing plateaued in…
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!
Tofacitinib After Live Shingles Vaccination Does Not Impair Immunogenicity
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Tofacitinib begun two to three weeks after live zoster vaccination does not impair immunogenicity, and vaccination appears to be safe in patients with pre-existing varicella zoster virus (VZV) immunity, researchers report. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are about twice as likely as healthy adults to develop herpes zoster, or shingles, and the…
Some Jobs Tied to Higher Risk of RA
(Reuters Health)—Workers exposed to airborne toxins may have an elevated risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an immune system disorder that causes debilitating swelling and pain in the joints, a Swedish study suggests. Among men, bricklayers, concrete workers and electricians had at least twice the risk of RA they would have in certain other occupations,…
S.C. Sues Purdue, Maker of OxyContin, Over Deceptive Marketing
(Reuters)—On Tuesday, South Carolina sued Purdue Pharma LP, becoming the latest state or local government to accuse the OxyContin maker of deceptive marketing practices that have contributed to a national opioid addiction epidemic. The lawsuit by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, filed in Richland County Court of Common Pleas in Columbia, accuses the company…
ACR Seeks Legislation to Help Ease Workforce Shortage
With a shortage of rheumatologists in the U.S. already a problem and projected to get far worse, the ACR is advocating the passage of a variety of laws that would help narrow the gap. Legislation being fought for by ACR advocacy leaders involves streamlining visa processing for foreign physicians and promoting incentives for physicians to…
Overlooking HIPAA Risks Can Lead to Costly Breach
Is your office at risk? Are all your business associate agreements (BAAs) in place, and is your office HIPAA compliant? As promised, and as part of its continued efforts to assess and enforce compliance with the HIPAA Privacy, Security and Breach Notification Rules, the Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) continues…
N.Y. Rheumatologist Makes Advocacy a Priority
In 2005, not long after he became a private practice rheumatologist on Long Island, N.Y., Howard Blumstein, MD, dipped his toe into the advocacy pool at the encouragement of his partner, Max Hamburger, MD. “I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the issues that affect our patients and our practices, and I…

Osteoporosis Screening Is Underutilized Despite Recommendations
For years, guidelines from various organizations have recommended osteoporosis screening in women and men starting at a specific age or based on specific risk factors. Among these guidelines are those developed by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) that recommend universal osteoporosis screening for women 65 years of age and older and for targeted…

Prepare Now to Sell Your Medical Practice
Selling a medical practice can be a lucrative endeavor. One of the most important phases of any sale transaction is the due diligence process. During this phase, a potential buyer and their advisors have the opportunity to examine the seller’s books, records and files in great detail to ensure that the buyer is comfortable purchasing…

HSCT for Severe Autoimmune Diseases
Despite the innovations of new biologics and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, a large unmet need remains for patients with rheumatic autoimmune disease. Treatment remains limited for many conditions, including for conditions with a dim prognosis, such as systemic sclerosis.1 One promising treatment avenue is hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT). Here, we provide background on HSCT for severe…
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 112
- 113
- 114
- 115
- 116
- …
- 248
- Next Page »