A 2017 survey showed that rheumatologists’ pay has plateaued. And according to Anne Bass, MD, many cognitive fields, such as pediatrics and endocrinology, remain underpaid due to the current reimbursement structure…

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A 2017 survey showed that rheumatologists’ pay has plateaued. And according to Anne Bass, MD, many cognitive fields, such as pediatrics and endocrinology, remain underpaid due to the current reimbursement structure…
James Oliphant |
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Sen. John McCain (R-Az.) will return to the U.S. capitol on Tuesday to play what could be a crucial role in salvaging Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare and keep their years-long pledge to unwind the 2010 healthcare overhaul. McCain, who is battling brain cancer, is set to help decide whether the repeal push will…
Ayesha Rascoe & Amanda Becker |
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—President Donald Trump pleaded with U.S. Senate Republicans on Monday to “do the right thing” on healthcare and allow debate to begin on a measure to repeal and replace Obamacare. The Senate is expected to vote on Tuesday on whether to begin debating a healthcare overhaul, although Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has…
Gary L. Bryant, MD, FACR, FACP |
The AMA House of Delegates (HOD) met in Chicago for its annual meeting June 9–14. More than 530 HOD members were present, with several hundred AMA and association staff and guests. As I am sure you have noted from past issues of ACR@Work, the ACR is in its five-year membership review. The ACR must be…
Members’ voices are crucial to making an impact on policies that have an impact on healthcare. Here, we’d like to thank members who have invested in the first half of this year, yielding $16,000 more than was raised over the same time period last year. In response to an in-depth examination of RheumPAC in 2016,…
The ACR recently announced the launch of the Alliance for Transparent & Affordable Prescriptions (ATAP), a coalition of provider and patient groups concerned about the role pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) play in driving up drug costs. The inaugural ATAP in-person meeting wrapped up on July 19 in Washington, D.C. The Alliance currently consists of the…
Susan Cornwell |
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The collapse of Republicans’ push to repeal and replace Obamacare in the U.S. Senate set up a possible repeal-only vote and clouded the path forward for President Donald Trump’s other domestic policy goals, rattling financial markets on Tuesday. After two Republicans said they would not back the latest Obamacare rollback bill, Senate Majority Leader…

Isabelle Amigues, MD, & Paul Sufka, MD, on behalf of the ACR Committee on Ethics & Conflict of Interest |
Social media has revolutionized my practice. I stay current with Twitter content from other rheumatologists, patient organizations and medical journals. I am also an active member of the international Twitter-based rheumatology journal club, #RheumJC. Still, I was recently surprised when my patient’s name appeared in a friend request. This same patient was following me on…

Santosh Bhusal, MD, with Terence W. Starz, MD, on behalf of the ARHP Practice Committee |
“I was hoping for good news, but now I am worried,” was the response of a 29-year-old patient when I suggested an oncology referral. He was four months into treatment of dermatomyositis and had experienced significant improvement of his muscle strength, CPK levels and interstitial pneumonitis, but a follow-up CT scan showed that his spleen…

Erin Latimer Meadows |
Questions that come to mind when you are specialized within a subspecialty: How can I build a network of peers? Where can I find resources and tools that apply to me? Do organizations exist that can provide me with opportunities for growth and leadership? As a pediatric nurse practitioner in rheumatology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital…