Sequestration, workforce issues and step therapy reform are just some of the areas in which the ACR’s activities, via the Government Affairs Committee and member action, have made a positive difference for rheumatology practitioners.

Subcategories:EthicsLegal UpdatesLegislation & AdvocacyResearch Rheum
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!
Elizabeth (Blair) Solow, MD |
Sequestration, workforce issues and step therapy reform are just some of the areas in which the ACR’s activities, via the Government Affairs Committee and member action, have made a positive difference for rheumatology practitioners.
In spring 2020, as it became obvious that COVID-19 wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, the leaders of the Rheumatology Research Foundation implemented an expedited process to distribute research funding beyond its typical awards program. This resulted in the Foundation awarding $1.65 million to fund five research studies that will look at the relationships between rheumatic…
From ARP Representatives to the ACR Government Affairs Committee |
The Budget Control Act of 2011 cut Medicare physician payments by 2% across the board. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law in 2020, suspended this sequester (i.e., a cut in government spending) between May 1 and Dec. 31, 2020. In the Consolidated Appropriations Act, signed into law in December…
A phase 3 trial described in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) highlights the potential of a C5a receptor inhibitor, avacopan, for anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis.1 Avacopan may potentially offer a steroid-sparing option for the treatment of this serious disease. Current Treatment of ANCA-Associated Vasculitis Morbidity and mortality from ANCA-associated vasculitis have…
In a randomized, controlled trial, the risk difference between groups is interpreted as a causal effect of the treatment, according to Seoyoung C. Kim, MD, ScD, MSCE, an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics and the Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation and Immunity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical…
The new Twitter account enables quick communication between ACR advocacy staff and ACR/ARP members about the policies, regulations and legislation that affect rheumatology patients and providers and how members can get involved.
Zach Wallace, MD, MSc |
At a virtual event with the chair of the Ways & Means Subcommittee on Health, RheumPAC donors were able to share concerns and recommendations about drug pricing policies and how they affect providers and patients.
The ACR is advocating against policies that threaten patient access and disrupt practice workflow, including non-medical switching, tapering patients off biologics, specialty pharmacy acquisition mandates and site-of-service restrictions.
Joseph Cantrell, JD |
Bright spots from this legislative session include utilization management reform, copay accumulator bans and pharmacy benefit manager reform.
RA shortens life expectancy, even with advances in treatment—and more so for women than for men, according to new research by Chiu et al.