Various drugs are known to cause musculoskeletal symptoms, such as arthralgias, myalgias, drug-induced lupus and serum sickness.1 In the rheumatology world, the most commonly recognized drugs that can cause musculoskeletal symptoms are hydralazine, minocycline, fluoroquinolones and, recently, the dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitor class of medications. Although beta blockers also have a noted side effect…
TEP In February, Lisa Gale Suter, MD, joined the Technical Expert Panel (TEP) for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Measure Development Plan, supporting the transition to the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Models (APMs). She was nominated to serve in this role by the ACR. The panel comprises…
The field of rheumatology is advancing fast—alongside communication technologies that generate a massive amount of information. Paul Sufka, MD, a rheumatologist with HealthPartners in St. Paul, Minn., is interested in the ways social media can help him and other rheumatologists stay connected and keep abreast of practice information. “One thing I see people doing too…
As the shortage of rheumatologists is expected to worsen, practices and fellowship programs are asking how to attract top talent. Here are tips for how individuals can raise rheumatology’s profile and reach out to med students and new rheumatologists…
We are sad to report that Dr. Kaplan passed away on Saturday, June 23. We are reposting this story now to celebrate his life.
(Reuters Health)—Acetaminophen, ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are better than opioids at easing the intensity of chronic pain in the back, knees or hips, a U.S. experiment suggests. And opioids are no better than these other drugs at reducing how much pain interferes with daily activities, such as walking, working, sleeping or enjoying…
As the demand for rheumatology services increases, many rheumatologists struggle to maintain an academic research career. The absence of mentoring is often reported as a barrier to a career in research. To address this concern, researchers assessed the current state or mentorship in adult rheumatology, identifying what facilitates a successful mentor-mentee relationship for early career investigators to develop the framework for an interinstitutional mentoring program…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Synovial gene expression and histology can be used to divide rheumatoid arthritis (RA) into high, low, and mixed inflammatory subtypes, according to results from the Accelerating Medicine Partnership: RA/SLE Network. “The actionable implication of these findings is that it may be worth considering synovial biopsies in patients who are not responding to…
Last year, Nebraska rheumatologist Marcus Snow, MD, learned a biosimilar bill was up for debate in his state legislature, yet “I had no knowledge of it,” he says. Forming the Society The bill “was something that caught my eye, and I thought there should be a mechanism in place to allow us to disseminate information…
Greetings, Advocates! Great news for the rheumatology community came on Feb. 9, when the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 was enacted. It contains several critical healthcare fixes pertinent to rheumatology. First, after hundreds of emails, meetings, letters to the editor, an op-ed, and a forceful 109-member coalition (led by the ACR and including many state…