The ACR and the ARHP have a long, rich history of collaboration, spanning close to 25 years together. Our predecessors saw the value of an interprofessional team and having an organization that brings together a vast number of constituencies. The result was these two organizations coming together in 1994 when the ARHP became a division…
The CMS has implemented a few changes to its 2018 MIPS submission categories. Not only will it be adding a cost category, but it has recently announced the renaming of the Advancing Care Information (ACI) category to Promoting Interoperability (PI) to focus on interoperability, improving flexibility and relieving administrative burdens. The CMS confirmed this will…
Rapid, accurate and convenient point-of-care lab testing for patients is one of the promises of 21st century medicine. However, reimbursement cuts enacted through the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (PAMA) threaten access to this testing, explains Colin Edgerton, MD, FACP, RhMSUS, partner in Articularis Healthcare and chair of the ACR’s Committee on Rheumatologic…
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most used drugs for acute and chronic pain. More than 30 billion doses of NSAIDs are consumed annually from more than 70 million prescriptions.1 Despite their common use, NSAIDs are not free of serious toxicities. In the pre-Vioxx (rofecoxib) era, gastrointestinal toxicity was the primary concern for many NSAIDs….
Recent research found 41% of pediatric patients with SLE are affected by at least mild disability, with higher pain scores correlating with increased disability. Mary Beth Son, MD, says determining how these children feel and what affects them daily is vital to “identifying targets we can hit as clinicians to improve their quality of life.”
In a long-term extension study, belimumab proved safe, demonstrating low organ damage accrual in SLE patients treated for up to nine years…
NETs or LL37-DNA complexes may serve as future targets for SLE therapy. In a recent study, researchers identified a link between neutrophils and NETs, and the activation of self-reactive B cells. Their study describes a neutrophil-B cell interaction unique to lupus…
The FDA has approved a combination of amlodipine and celecoxib, which may lower serum creatinine, for treating osteoarthritis pain and hypertension…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Solid evidence suggests that anticonvulsants provide no benefit for low back or lumbar radicular pain and a high risk of harm, researchers say. “We started the study because these drugs were increasingly being used for low back pain and radiating leg pain, without the support of strong evidence of effectiveness,” principal investigator…
In its first phase 3 clinical trial, intravenous tramadol has met its primary endpoint for relieving postoperative pain…