No event in recent history has caused such far-reaching changes within the medical industry as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Similar to its ability to spread indiscriminately—infecting people regardless of age, race or socioeconomic background—the virus is inducing immediate and, likely, permanent changes across the entire spectrum of healthcare. Comfortable routines of healthcare delivery have been…
These are difficult times for rheumatologists. We have seen sharp declines in face-to-face patient visits since the COVID‑19 pandemic began. Many of us have questions about the best ways to maintain employee and patient safety while keeping our practices afloat and continuing to provide optimal care. The volunteer leaders at the ACR continue to care…
It has been about 20 years since the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine) published the report To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System, shining light on the impact of medical errors in healthcare.1 In response to that publication, the focus on quality improvement (QI) started in the inpatient setting,…
Caring for pediatric patients during a pandemicin the age of COVID-19 requires adaptations, says Jay Mehta, MD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “The one exposure that seems to put [pediatric] patients at risk is if they are on higher doses of steroids, with some data suggesting worse outcomes. We just put out guidelines telling providers to reduce steroids in their patients to the lowest dose that can adequately control their disease.”
The rapid expansion of telemedicine in rheumatology, as well as changes to reimbursement and relaxed regulations, during the COVID-19 pandemic has served as an impetus for the ACR to review its position and release a new statement in support of optimized telemedicine practices.
In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the ACR has dedicated a few episodes of the ACR on Air podcast to the challenges that have arisen, along with information about the available resources and guidance. The first episode in this special series looks at drug shortages surrounding hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and its initial uses to treat…
As president of the Georgia Society of Rheumatology (GSR), Wambui Machua, MD, a rheumatologist with Piedmont Physicians Rheumatology, Atlanta, oversees a membership of 90 rheumatologists, six orthopedists, two nurses, 85 physician assistants and 27 fellows and residents. According to Dr. Machua, the GSR, founded in 1967, continues to pursue its original mission of providing educational…
As state rheumatology societies go, the Nebraska Rheumatology Society (NRS) is one of the new kids on the block. Established two years ago, the NRS hopes to involve all 27 rheumatologists across the state. Marcus Snow, MD, a rheumatologist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, says the state’s rheumatologists are spread across…
SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—A major workforce shortage, a population of patients taking immunosuppressants where safety concerns and the patient experience are critical, and an increasing focus on remote patient monitoring and telehealth are driving a discussion regarding the role digital wearables play in rheumatologic care. “We need to be more thoughtful and efficient in taking care…
Even before I started my rheumatology fellowship, I knew it would be a demanding career, diagnosing complex diseases with only a few management options in seriously ill patients. What I didn’t appreciate as much before is how badly we are needed across the country. According to the 2018 outcomes report from the National Resident Matching…