Search results for: hip OA

Rheumatology Patients & Providers Push for Step Therapy, Workforce Changes

Kelly Tyrrell | September 20, 2019

Rheumatology professional and patients visited with 117 legislators and their staffs during the 2019 Advocates for Arthritis event to champion better rheumatology patient care and access.

National Survey Highlights Rheumatology Patient Concerns, Challenges

Susan Bernstein | September 20, 2019

In a national survey of more than 1,500 Americans with rheumatic disease, more than half reported struggling to access affordable care and nearly two-thirds described challenges performing simple daily tasks.

RheumPAC Advocates for Dept. of Defense Arthritis Research Funding

From the College | September 17, 2019

RheumPAC is the ACR’s non-partisan political action committee, which promotes the needs of rheumatology providers and patients. Advocacy efforts often focus on legislation to improve the day-to-day clinical care of rheumatology patients, such as establishing clinical exceptions to step therapy requirements and reforming the prior authorization process. In addition, the ACR and RheumPAC recognize the…

Summer 2019’s Awards, Appointments & Announcements in Rheumatology

Gretchen Henkel | September 17, 2019

Betty Diamond, MD, Recognized as Distinguished Fellow by American Association of Immunologists At its annual meeting in May in San Diego, the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) recognized Betty Diamond, MD, as a distinguished fellow. Dr. Diamond is professor and head of the Center for Autoimmune, Musculoskeletal and Hematopoietic Diseases at the Feinstein Institutes for…

Dr. Jim O’Dell: Rheumatologist, & Master Artisan

Carol Patton | September 17, 2019

As a young child, Jim O’Dell, MD, spent hours with his grandfather in his basement, making bird houses and bird feeders. “My grandfather, who was a woodworker, was one of the most influential people in my life,” Dr. O’Dell says. “He probably cringed at the crude things I made, but he certainly never let me…

Study: Screen Hospitalized Lupus Patients for Venous Thromboembolism

Catherine Kolonko | September 17, 2019

When patients with lupus are hospitalized, they should be screened and likely treated for venous thromboembolism, researchers of a nationwide study say. In May, ACR Open Rheumatology published results of the large retrospective study spanning several years. Researchers analyzed trends in mortality, morbidity and hospitalization from venous thromboembolism (VTE), specifically among patients diagnosed with systemic…

Study Finds Chronic Opioid Use Doubled in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Mary Beth Nierengarten | September 17, 2019

The prevalence of chronic opioid use among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) doubled between 2002 and 2015, especially among patients with severe pain or on antidepressants, according to a new study.1 The study adds to prior data reporting trends in chronic opioid use in RA patients.2,3 Severe pain was the strongest predictor for use of…

New Study Asks Why Lupus Patients Don’t Take Their Hydroxychloroquine

Vanessa Caceres | September 17, 2019

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) therapy may effectively manage systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in many patients, but that doesn’t mean patients will take it as often as they should. In fact, results from a recently published study found that about half of SLE patients were not adherent.1 The study was led by Lucy H. Liu, MD, MPH, a…

Case Report: Diagnosing, Treating Hepatitis B-Linked Polyarteritis Nodosa

Naveen Raj, DO, & Lisa Duncan, MD | September 17, 2019

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) associated polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is an increasingly rare vasculitis in developed countries due to advances in HBV vaccination and antiviral therapy. However, the condition does persist, and rheumatologists should consider it when evaluating vasculitis cases. Below, we discuss a case that illustrates the varied clinical presentations PAN can encompass. A high…