All of us have a professional story to share. We have come from various backgrounds that make us different and allow us to link unique contributions from our professional journey. Some of us dedicate our careers to academics, many serve in private practice, and others have a combination of career experiences. Unfortunately, many of our…
The growing use of copay accumulator programs, which restrict the application of patient assistance funds toward cost-sharing requirements, hurts patient access to life-changing treatments. This was one topic discussed during the ACR’s Advocacy Leadership Conference in D.C. this May.
Information overload generated by the media, family, friends and colleagues is apparent today. Personal beliefs play an important role in how we filter and process the abundant information available and subsequently identify its utility in daily life. Regardless of professional specialty, individual beliefs underpin personal approaches to clinical care, research development and engagement with patients…
In its COVID-19 treatment guidelines, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) lists several drugs commonly prescribed for patients with rheumatic conditions as potential therapies in those who are hospitalized for COVID-19 and require high-flow oxygen, noninvasive ventilation, intermittent ventilation (IMV) or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), as of Aug. 25, 2021, and current as this is…
The 2015 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Workforce Study projected that by 2030 the number of adult rheumatologists will decline by 25%.1 The result: Demand for rheumatologists is projected to be more than twice the available supply of providers by 2030. Advanced practice rheumatology professionals can help practices overcome the barrier this mismatch will create…
It may not take a village, but when it comes to providing stellar care to rheumatology and musculoskeletal patients, it definitely takes a team. To ensure all rheumatology professionals are thoroughly prepared to serve their patients’ needs in a personalized manner, there is the ARP—the Association of Rheumatology Professionals. The ARP, the interprofessional division of…
Ms. Slusher brings a varied background and many goals to her new role as ARP president, including engaging with volunteers and building connections with all members of healthcare teams.
Over the past 16 months, the world has shone a bright light on the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Although the College has been focused on diversity initiatives since 2020, the interprofessional division of the College, the ARP, has recently taken a deeper dive into DEI initiatives in its processes, procedures and volunteering….
In the early 1900s, the treatment for rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease (RMD) was primarily targeted at symptomatic relief and included analgesics, physical therapy, splinting and bed rest. With the discovery of methotrexate and its impact on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management, a much-needed evolution of medications targeting disease activity began. Over the past 30 years, several…
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…