The FDA is warning that patients with type 2 diabetes taking SGLT2 inhibitors may be at risk of developing a rare, serious infection, Fournier’s gangrene…


The FDA is warning that patients with type 2 diabetes taking SGLT2 inhibitors may be at risk of developing a rare, serious infection, Fournier’s gangrene…

Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are difficult to diagnose, but they affect multiple systems and are associated with other autoimmune diseases. Lan Chen, MD, PhD, believes better testing and clearer education will be a gamechanger for celiac patients…

Terence W. Starz, MD, Theodore Pincus, MD, On Behalf Of The ARHP Practice Committee |
Sir William Osler, the father of modern medicine, said “the desire to take medicine is perhaps the greatest feature that separates man from animal.” Determination of the benefit of a medication can be challenging and includes a number of factors, such as pharmacologic activities on the disease pathophysiology, pharmacokinetic properties and patient characteristics.1,2 An additional,…

The data tell the story. Despite improvements in overall outcomes for common rheumatologic conditions, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), white patients fare better than minority patients, and sometimes substantially better. Even with new biologic therapies that have significantly altered the course of disease for patients with RA, outcomes for minorities…

Anita Henderson-Sumpter, MHA, MBA, CHC, CPC |
Effective management of healthcare compliance requires an office compliance plan that stays current with changing government regulations, payer requirements, office operations and technology. Many still wonder, why is a compliance program needed—if something isn’t broken, don’t fix it, right? This is not always the case; compliance is an essential part of practice operations, but providing…

David Daikh, MD, PhD |
As rheumatology professionals, we focus on how to achieve better outcomes for our patients: lower disease activity, remission, milder symptoms and prevention of joint damage or serious complications, such as heart disease. Another outcome is just as important: good quality of life. What can we do to engage our current patients and those at risk…

Paul H. Caldron, DO, PhD, FACP, FACR, MBA |
GLENDALE, ARIZ.—Arizona is a microcosm of America’s challenges in reconciling the rheumatology workforce to growing patient demand, as quantified in the ACR’s Workforce Study of 2015.1 So it was timely this year for the Phoenix Rheumatology Association to sponsor its 1st Annual Strategic Training for Rheumatology Advanced Practice Clinicians Symposium. (Note: Advanced practice clinicians [APCs]…

AMSTERDAM—A variety of factors lead to delays in patients seeking medical care for rheumatoid arthritis—from the nature of symptoms to coping tendencies—requiring more awareness from physicians when managing patients, researchers said at EULAR: the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology. Longer delays in treatment bring about more emotional distress to patients, missed chances to ease symptoms…
Managing the administrative work necessary to keep members of the Virginia Society of Rheumatologists (VSR) active and engaged was proving a challenge for volunteer rheumatologists balancing their society activities with busy practice schedules. After attending several other state society meetings and talking to society leaders about the value of creating an executive director role, VSR…
In a first-of-its-kind report card, the ACR shows that many changes are needed for states to improve patient access to affordable and effective rheumatology care…