Sir William Osler, a pioneer of modern medical education, taught “medicine is learned by the bedside and not in the classroom.”1 How, then, do we learn medicine in a world dominated by virtual interactions? This question was forced upon us in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. From telemedicine to remote meetings, the rheumatology community…
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all rheumatology fellowship interviews conducted in the 2020 fellowship recruitment season were conducted in a virtual, video-based format to reduce the risks associated with travel and face-to-face meetings. In June 2020, the Coalition for Physician Accountability released guidance suggesting all programs commit to online-only interviews and recruitment events, even…
“It’s crazy! None of the pictures online look like me!” a young Black woman with systemic lupus earythematosus (SLE) exclaimed. We could only affirm her observation and agree that it was unfair. Like many patients with SLE, our patient was diagnosed at a young age and suffered severe complications that required kidney transplantation before her…
Civil unrest in response to racism is a call for realignment of priorities in all aspects of society, including medical education. Hospital preparedness demands training in the treatment of victims of pepper spray, tear gas and rubber bullets, as well as planning for lockdown procedures in healthcare facilities and medical schools. Beyond logistics though, events…
I have been tongue-tied, of late. When I was a medical student, I was told not to turn the physical examination into an aerobic workout. This sage piece of advice was imparted by my physical examination preceptor, who had watched me perform a complete examination on a hapless volunteer. At the time, I thought of…
Patients with autoimmune diseases, such as spondyloarthritis, are at risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease. Here are considerations for its management and treatment.
Spurred by a recent Cigna policy, the ACR will lead a resolution to oppose insurance companies providing financial incentives for patients to switch treatments. Several specialties are cosponsoring the resolution for a special meeting of the AMA House of Delegates in June.
A 61-year-old white woman presented to our rheumatology clinic in New England to establish care in early June 2018, following a move from Texas. She reported a medical history of inflammatory bowel disease, uveitis and seroÂnegative inflammatory arthritis, which was difficult to control and required the use of multiple medications. At her initial visit, she…
Bright spots from this legislative session include utilization management reform, copay accumulator bans and pharmacy benefit manager reform.
About 10 years ago, Stuart S. Kassan, MD, FACP, MACR, was playing in a local golf tournament at the Denver Country Club. Each player had to tee off over a water hole in front of roughly 100 club members. His ball was the only one that landed in the water—twice. He was introduced to golf…