What to vaccinate for and when to do so are challenges for rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals under normal circumstances. During the COVID-19 pandemic, even more questions are being raised, specifically regarding a possible vaccine for SARS-CoV-2. The ACR’s COVID-19 Practice and Advocacy Task Force is working on a guidance document to help ACR members address these pressing questions.
Bharat Kumar, MD, Advocacy 101 coordinator and Government Affairs Committee member, describes the virtual program designed to educate and empower rheumatology fellows in training, program directors and ARP members to advocate for issues that affect rheumatology practices and patients in advance of the Advocates for Arthritis that will take place virtually in September.
The conversation with Stephen Hahn, MD, addressed challenges associated with hydroxychloroquine access during the COVID-19 public health emergency and handling patient concerns about potential cardiac side effects.
At the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Division of Rheumatology, Baltimore, registered nurses (RNs) are an integral aspect of the rheumatology fellowship program. This gives the fellows information and insight into areas of practice they might not otherwise receive. “This [practice] is a result of our very strong belief that an integrated and interdisciplinary approach,…
Like the medical profession itself, the education of doctors serving in rheumatology fellowships across the nation marches on despite the unexpected hurdles posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Practice Changes “The pandemic has changed the way our fellows see patients; we are now seeing almost all patients using telemedicine,” says Bonita Libman, MD, FACR, FACP, fellowship…
No event in recent history has caused such far-reaching changes within the medical industry as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Similar to its ability to spread indiscriminately—infecting people regardless of age, race or socioeconomic background—the virus is inducing immediate and, likely, permanent changes across the entire spectrum of healthcare. Comfortable routines of healthcare delivery have been…
These are difficult times for rheumatologists. We have seen sharp declines in face-to-face patient visits since the COVID‑19 pandemic began. Many of us have questions about the best ways to maintain employee and patient safety while keeping our practices afloat and continuing to provide optimal care. The volunteer leaders at the ACR continue to care…
COVID-19 has generated an outpouring of fast-paced, late-breaking new developments. The majority of countries (188) around the world have reported cases of COVID-19.1 As of April 1, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reported cases in every U.S. jurisdiction (50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and…
The ACR and Rheumatology Research Foundation hope a new report on rheumatic disease research can leverage more money for ACR members, funding future research…
As useful stand-ins for biologics targeting a range of inflammatory diseases, biosimilars have made significant inroads across Europe as less expensive alternatives. Denmark, for example, realized a cost savings of 64% after instituting a mandatory national switch from the originator infliximab to its biosimilar counterpart. In the U.S., however, a considerably smaller fraction of rheumatologists…