WASHINGTON, D.C.—Dozens of rheumatology leaders met with more than 100 politicos on Capitol Hill in mid-May as part of the ACR’s annual Advocacy Leadership Conference. Armed with research and advocacy training concerning a handful of important issues, rheumatologists, rheumatology interprofessional team members, government affairs specialists and others met with federal lawmakers, legislative aides and correspondents….
A 53-year-old man was hospitalized for pericarditis, abdominal lymphadenopathy of unknown origin and non-bloody diarrhea. He was admitted for four days, and then he was discharged home without incident. Two months after his initial presentation, he was readmitted for the evaluation of several new issues, including symmetric arthralgias, hypovolemia with associated electrolyte abnormalities and concurrent…
In the first scene of the Broadway stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, young Scout contemplates two words she has heard in the courtroom: “All rise,” and wonders if they really are meant to elevate the minds of all those present for the proceedings. That instruction—“All rise”—serves as a leitmotif throughout the…
I knew I was about to be schooled. That’s what I thought when I first started to read the Twitter feed of Erin D. Michos, MD, MHS, an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. I have a Twitter account, but as a general rule, I use it…
The House of Delegates (HOD) is the policy-making body of the American Medical Association (AMA), and twice a year, representatives of all seated specialties, service societies and state medical associations review hundreds of resolutions to determine which will become AMA policies. Once those policies and priorities are determined or updated, we benefit from the AMA…
As the practice of step therapy grows more pervasive throughout the insurance industry, the protocols become increasingly confusing to navigate. Steps vary from insurer to insurer based on plan type, and formulary differences are too often based on economic incentives rather than outcome-based medicine. Patients are often left hanging in the balance while physicians’ offices…
Recent research shows bimekizumab may improve patient-reported outcomes and quality of life for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients…
Corrections to reimbursement system errors with Aetna and a Medicare contractor demonstrate the latest wins for all providers by the ACR’s Insurance Subcommittee. But the committee remains hard at work advocating for rheumatologists on several fronts.
This year, the Annual Meeting Planning Committee has designed an engaging program, bringing together the best experts to address important topics. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s new…
Rheumatologists, behavioral specialists, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals are working in the Autoimmunity Institute at Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, to care for the whole patient…