Summer is a season for travel, so if your immunocompromised patients plan to journey to regions where there are outbreaks of infections, such as chikungunya, tuberculosis, typhoid, yellow fever or other diseases, communication and preparation may prevent serious health events. “The world teems with disease-causing organisms, and almost every infection is more serious in the…
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Rheumatologists, Patient Advocacy Efforts Make a Difference
We’re in this together for rheumatology and our patients. Those who know me appreciate my devotion to Duke Basketball and my pride in their recent NCAA championship. Coach K (Krzyzewski), a firmly established leader in the world of college basketball, makes the analogy that a basketball team is like five fingers on a hand, and…
AFIRM Act of 2015 Could Benefit Rheumatologists
New legislation has the potential to streamline the audit process for Medicare and Medicaid, taking a burden off small rheumatology practices…
RA Diagnosis Uses Lab Tests, Clinical Insight to Rule Out Lyme
What struck me first as I walked by the exam room where Lynn P. sat was the swelling in her fingers and wrists. The bloated hands rested unnaturally on her thighs, palms up, fingers slightly flexed. Her strawberry-blond curls were offset by a high-neck, loose-fitting, burgundy sweater. Her pale skin matched her trim slacks. She had…
Create a Physician Website that Conveys Authority, Expertise
A website provides visitors with a first glimpse of your practice. “Whether you like it or not, people will learn about you and judge you based on your website,” says David Borenstein, MD, MACR, MACP, rheumatologist and partner, Arthritis and Rheumatism Associates, and clinical professor of medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, The George…
Heart Rate Variability to Predict Treatment Response in Patients with RA
A growing understanding of the immunomodulatory effect of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is edging closer to having clinical applications that could one day benefit patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Researchers pursuing this as an alternative path to biomarkers are investigating whether autonomic status can be used to predict response to therapy. Seattle-area rheumatologist and…
How to Deliver Difficult News about Patients’ Diagnoses
Telling a patient that he or she has been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis, fibromyalgia or another debilitating, painful and/or chronic condition can be upsetting for a patient to hear and difficult for a rheumatologist to convey. Given this, it’s important to prepare for the appointment. “Take a few minutes beforehand to contemplate…
Rontalizumab May Help Patients with Lupus & Low Interferon Signature
In a Phase 2 study, researchers found that rontalizumab was a more effective treatment in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who had an interferon signature metric score lower than 1.
Studies Challenge Conventional Infliximab Protocols in IBD
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Dose optimization of infliximab is needed much earlier in ulcerative colitis than in Crohn’s disease, a single-center retrospective study reveals. “We compared the rates of dose increases over a fairly lengthy period of time,” said Dr. Mark Silverberg, the study’s senior author from the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. “Patients with ulcerative…
Tips for Physicians on Handling Personal Problems at Work
As a physician, it’s important to be in the present 100% of the time. “Writing the wrong number on a prescription pad is an extreme, but important, example of what could happen if a physician is distracted,” says consultant Donna Singer, Donna Singer Consulting LLC, Newton, Mass. Sanjay Chabra, DO, director of rheumatology, St. Jude…
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