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

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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!

 

Ethics Forum: Should Doctors Recommend Fitness/Diet Monitoring Devices?

Sara M. Rothberger, PhD, Linda S. Ehrlich-Jones, RN, PhD, & Christine A. Pellegrini, PhD  |  

The Case A 58-year-old patient with knee osteoarthritis has been decreasing her physical activity over the past several years due to painful joints, which has resulted in significant weight gain. At her appointment, you encourage her to engage in more physical activity and eat a well-balanced diet. A few weeks later, the patient returns to…

E6011 & Tocilizumab Monotherapy Studies Show Promising Results for RA Patients

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New RA Antibody Treatment SAN DIEGO—A recent study examined the pharmacokinetics, safety and efficacy of E6011, an anti-fractalkine monoclonal antibody designed to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA).1 Researchers presented the results of this first 52-week trial of E6011 at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in November. Fractalkine (CX3CL1/FKN) is a chemokine that regulates chemo­taxis and adhesion…

Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act Preparation Tips

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The ABCs of MACRA The transition year under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) is at an end. MACRA repealed the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) methodology for updates to the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and replaced it with a value-driven payment system. The new approach to payment is called the…

Rheumatology Research Foundation Honors Award Recipients

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SAN DIEGO—In November, the Rheumatology Research Foundation honored 155 award and scholarship recipients at the Awards Celebration, an annual luncheon, held in conjunction with the ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting. The event celebrates the accomplishments of rheumatology professionals who have received funding from the Foundation. In congratulating the award recipients, executive director Mary Wheatley, CAE, IOM, emphasized…

Rheumatologists Air Frustrations with Pharmacy Benefit Managers at Annual Meeting

Larry Beresford  |  

SAN DIEGO—Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and their impact on drug prices and access to high-cost medications by the patients rheumatologists treat was a major theme at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting Nov. 3–8. In one session, industry experts tried to clarify the role for prior authorizations and drug formulary policies and explored ways to constructively…

Lupus B Cell Research Points Toward Targeted Therapies

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SAN DIEGO—B cell signaling goes awry in many patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), triggering pathogenic autoimmune responses and clinical disease. At the Rheumatology Research Foundation’s 2017 Evelyn V. Hess Memorial Lecture, held on Nov. 5 at the ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, researcher Ignacio Sanz, MD, discussed B cells’ role in this complex disease. Because lupus…

Doctors & Political Advocacy: Tips to Get You Started

Larry Beresford  |  

SAN DIEGO—Doctors vote less frequently than other professionals, even than farmers, reported Sen. Tim Hutchinson, who is the ACR’s lead lobbyist inside the Beltway, during an Introduction to Advocacy workshop at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting Nov. 3–8.1 Sen. Hutchinson, who represented Arkansas in the U.S. Senate from 1997–2003 and is now a senior director…

The American College of Rheumatology’s Legislative Successes of 2017

Larry Beresford  |  

SAN DIEGO—The 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, Nov. 3–8, presented opportunities to highlight its 2017 legislative advocacy victories, some of which were resolved just weeks before the conference began, as well as issues that are still outstanding. In the session, Legislative & Regulatory Update 2017, Angus Worthing, MD, chair of the ACR’s Government Advocacy Committee and…

Barbara Volcker Center Marks 20 Years of Research & Clinical Work

Catherine Kolonko  |  

Although two decades have ticked by, rheumatologist Michael Lockshin, MD, MACR, still remembers the enlightening nature of many conversations he had with his curious and persistent patient Barbara Volcker, the wife of former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker. “The conversations we had at that time led to the mission of the Barbara Volcker Center,”…