“Hi, I’m Dr. Kumar, and I’m an allergist,” is something I sometimes fumble when I introduce myself to confused rheumatology patients, before I quickly correct myself with, “… well, I’m also a rheumatologist.” There’s a moment of slight embarrassment that I crossed my circuits, but otherwise I’m proud to say I’m certified in both. This…
Dominick Sudano, MD, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona and rheumatologist at Banner University Medical Center, Tucson, Ariz., knows how tough it is for patients living in remote areas to obtain a rheumatology consultation. “It’s not unusual for patients living in rural areas of Arizona to wait four to six months for a…
You are a new practitioner, ready to begin your first job, one for which you’ve been preparing for years. Your prospective employer gives you an agreement that outlines your compensation, scope of work, requirements and benefits. You are eager to start your new assignment, and you want to sign this document quickly to make your…
Sometimes it’s hard to get a song out of your head, especially when you can’t recall all the lyrics and struggle to find the words to fill in the blanks. That’s what happened to me when I started to write this column. A song, probably too dated now for many to find particularly compelling, kept…
(Reuters Health)—States that require adults on Medicaid to work a set number of hours to get benefits may find many people lose coverage because behavioral health conditions and other chronic health problems make it hard for them to work, a U.S. study suggests. Medicaid, a joint federal and state health program for the poor, allows…
(Reuters Health)—Physician Compare, a U.S. website created to help patients find high-quality doctors, is missing so much information on individual providers that it may not be helpful, a new study suggests. Quality reporting has been a work in progress for almost three decades since a landmark 1999 report from the Institute of Medicine, ‘To Err…
Many, if not all, rheumatologists seek to grow as clinicians so they can provide consistently exceptional care to patients and serve as role models for colleagues and trainees. In our Lessons from Master Clinicians series for The Rheumatologist, we present insights from clinicians who have achieved distinction in the field of rheumatology and who are…
We all know words can be powerful. They often resonate with several levels of meaning, enriching our understanding and broadening our perspective. Take the word promise, for example. It implies responsibility, as in, “We promise to do it.” It is also imbued with hope, as in “This idea has great promise.” At the ACR we…
Rheumatology has historically been a less common career choice than other internal medicine subspecialties, but that may be changing…
(Reuters)—Ohio’s attorney general on Monday said he had filed a lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group Inc’s OptumRx unit, saying the pharmacy benefit manager had overcharged the state nearly $16 million for prescription drugs. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s lawsuit followed a probe into the extent pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) like OptumRx had engaged in pricing practices…