Chatbots are not a new concept, but have recently gained popularity and traction. Launched in late 2022, ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer) is a web-based platform designed to simulate interactive conversations and deliver real-time data. It has quickly become a tool that provides instantaneous information that can be more focused than a Google search.1 We,…
On May 23, Drs. Chris Phillips and Rebecca Shepherd, chairs of the ACR’s Committee on Rheumatologic Care and Insurance Subcommittee, respectively, and members of the ACR’s advocacy staff team met with officials from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to discuss concerns on underwater biosimilars and restrictions on billing G2211.
“When pharmacy benefit managers [PBMs] came into being 30 years ago, they were seen as an important component of the prescription distribution system [because] they could guide benefits and money between the patient, pharmacy and the manufacturer,” says Angus Worthing, MD, president of the Alliance for Transparent & Affordable Prescriptions (ATAP). Health insurance companies hire…
“I think we learn from medicine everywhere that it is, at its heart, a human endeavor, requiring good science but also a limitless curiosity and interest in your fellow human being, and that the physician-patient relationship is key; all else follows from it.”1 These profound words from Abraham Verghese, MD, MACP, Linda R. Meier…
June is always a bittersweet month, at least in academic medicine. We get to look forward to a new fresh set of faces coming into our training programs, but we also have to say goodbye to those once-fresh faces that have progressed through their medical education journeys. These transitions are never easy, neither for the…
In recent months, the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission have started to take action to rein in antitrust behavior, including banning noncompete agreements in the for-profit sector and establishing a taskforce on healthcare monopolies.
The ACR will lead five other specialty societies on a resolution supporting pediatric specialty care and will co-lead resolutions addressing Medicare Advantage Part B drug coverage, white bagging mandates, state prescription drug affordability boards and impacts of alternative funding programs on access to care.
Rheumatology fellow Audrey Liu, MD, describes the excitement and empowerment of seeing first-hand the real-world impact of advocating for policies that support providers and patients.
On May 6–7, nearly 100 rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals converged in Washington, D.C., for the ACR’s annual Advocacy Leadership Conference and 137 meetings on Capitol Hill. You can help extend the efforts of these advocates and amplify their impact by contacting your lawmakers via the Legislative Action Center.
Novice writers often wait months, sometimes even years, before their first piece is published. However, Usman T. Malik, MBBS, shares a different experience. His letter to the editor of Bachon ka Pakistan, a Pakistani children’s publication, was published shortly after being submitted. He was just 7 years old. Dr. Malik is now an assistant professor…