The underlying tenet of the ACR’s advocacy efforts is that we cannot effect change for our profession and our patients unless we take our issues directly to decision makers. As I write this column, I am highly encouraged by the progress we have made so far this year in the advocacy realm. At the same…
How do you ask a new patient about sex and gender—or know which pronoun to use? Keep the conversation straightforward and respectful to put everyone at ease, says Morgan Orndorff, a transgender man who works as an administrator at a major academic medical center. “Everyone is a little different in terms of their sensitivity level”…
With extensive clinical trial data being published daily, how does a rheumatologist stay up to date on latest breakthroughs? Rheumatologists can leverage multiple online resources to stay informed and apply information to patient care…
A recently published research review notes physician burnout has become a crisis in the U.S. The authors describe how the added administrative tasks of electronic health records (EHRs) have contributed to the crisis, as well as how regulatory requirements and EHR platform design exacerbate the situation…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Thursday that the part of Obamacare requiring individuals to have health insurance is unconstitutional, an unusual move that could lead to stripping away some of the most significant and popular parts of the law. In a brief filed in a federal court in Texas, the department…
SAN JOSE, Calif., (Reuters)—At its Silicon Valley headquarters, network gear maker Cisco Systems Inc. is going to unusual lengths to take control of the relentless increase in its U.S. healthcare costs. The company is among a handful of large American employers who are getting more deeply involved in managing their workers’ health instead of looking…
In 2005, an ACR Workforce Study estimated the adult rheumatology workforce to be 4,946 providers and projected growth of only 1.2% by 2025, resulting in a projected deficit of 2,576 rheumatologists considering the estimated need. According to the 2015 Workforce Study, between 2005 and 2015, the percentage of internal medicine residents entering rheumatology has remained…
With only 15 practicing rheumatologists in the state, members of West Virginia’s Rheumatology (WVR) Society knew early on they needed a stronger voice to help their patients. So WVR Society President Suzanne Gharib, MD, joined West Virginia’s state medical society, comprising physicians from a range of specialties. “It turns out our state medical society was…
On Wednesday, May 16, 2018, the ACR’s Affiliate Society Council (ASC) convened a meeting in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the ACR’s Advocacy Leadership Conference. Despite inclement weather that delayed or cancelled numerous flights, several rheumatology representatives from states across the U.S. attended the meeting in person, while others participated by conference call. “It was…
(Reuters)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday listed drugmakers, including Celgene Corp, Johnson & Johnson, Gilead Sciences and Novartis AG, who the regulator says are potentially blocking access to samples of their drugs to delay generic competition. Generic drugmakers may not be able to develop alternatives without access to samples of branded products they…