New research from the CDC evaluated the prevalence of healthcare provider counseling for physical activity as a management strategy for arthritis. Researchers found that although healthcare provider counseling for exercise has increased during the past decade, 40% of patients with arthritis do not receive this counseling, resulting in a greater prevalence of physical inactivity for this patient population…
Funding drives arthritis research breakthroughs and prevention programs, and advocates from the ACR, Arthritis Foundation and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) pitched funding increases to lawmakers at a lunchtime briefing held Feb. 1 in Washington, D.C., in cooperation with the Congressional Arthritis Caucus. During the briefing, titled $300 Billion Crisis: The High Cost…
Milestones are at the core of the current system designed to evaluate medical residency and fellowship programs and their participants. But are all milestones meaningful for medical education? This idea was at the center of a debate during the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, during which speakers explored the advantages and drawbacks of using training milestones for rheumatology fellowships…
LATE-BREAKING NEWS Editor’s note: The ACR praises Congressional leaders for passing today’s (2/9) sweeping spending agreement, which includes a technical provision reversing a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) policy that would have linked physicians’ quality payment adjustments to Medicare Part B drug costs starting in 2019. The ACR also applauded the inclusion of…
Rheumatologists working in every practice setting face a number of challenges that can seem insurmountable. How do you cost-effectively manage administrative burdens? How do you establish an efficient and effective approach to capturing quality metrics? How do you maintain the critical elements of the care you provide, such as diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound and patient access…
A recent study has shed light on the role of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in SLE pathogenesis. In particular, patients with lupus nephritis have an abundance of 24 miRNAs, many of which play a role in regulatory feedback loops…
Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) in the joints of patients may drive the pathology of spondyloarthritis through the production of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). A recent study found that both GM-CSF-producing CD4 T cells and the GM-CSF+ Th17 cells expressed high levels of GPR65—indicating that both GM-CSF and GPR65 may be therapeutic targets for spondyloarthritis…
SAN DIEGO—In November, the Rheumatology Research Foundation honored 155 award and scholarship recipients at the Awards Celebration, an annual luncheon, held in conjunction with the ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting. The event celebrates the accomplishments of rheumatology professionals who have received funding from the Foundation. In congratulating the award recipients, executive director Mary Wheatley, CAE, IOM, emphasized…
SAN DIEGO—At the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego in November, the ACR and the ARHP honored a group of distinguished individuals who have made significant contributions to rheumatology research, education and patient care. This month, The Rheumatologist speaks with the ARHP winners about their individual contributions. In addition, we profile the new class…
If you read The Rheumatologist regularly, you may remember a column I wrote a few months ago about giving and receiving feedback (July 2017). I wrote it when I was finishing fellowship and looking back at six years of my graduate medical education. Now, as an attending physician who spends a considerable amount of time…