Patient advocates, researcher-clinicians and academic leaders are calling for closer scrutiny of new technologies applied within healthcare, citing concerns about a lack of consideration for how they may affect patient care.


Ryan Basen |
Patient advocates, researcher-clinicians and academic leaders are calling for closer scrutiny of new technologies applied within healthcare, citing concerns about a lack of consideration for how they may affect patient care.

Access to care is critical for treating arthritis and other chronic rheumatic conditions. That’s why choosing the best Medicare plan fit is such an important decision. Use these tips from the Arthritis Foundation’s Nick Turkas, MS, to help your patients make their best choice for insurance coverage.

Studies related to acupuncture and tai chi show some benefits for patients with musculoskeletal disorders, such as fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis. When patients ask about these integrative health approaches, rheumatologists should recommend they use qualified, experienced practitioners.
Joseph Cantrell, JD |
With 2023 state legislative sessions underway, early prevailing themes may forecast areas where we will see gains this year. Key issues include utilization management, copay accumulator bans, white bagging and pharmacy benefit manager reform.

During an ACR webinar in August, presenters discussed multiple aspects of telehealth in rheumatology, especially related to rheumatology fellowship training. They agreed that although telehealth represents one potential avenue to improve patient access to treatment for rheumatic disease, we must keep identifying the best ways to employ telehealth to enhance care. Impact of Pandemic Telemedicine…

“Fifty percent of kids with rheumatic disease are taken care of by adult providers,” says Jay J. Mehta, MD, MS, attending physician and fellowship program director, Department of Rheumatology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and a co-author of the ACR’s recent pediatric workforce shortage study.1,2 “But adult rheumatologists may not have specific training in the rheumatic…
Seppen et al. developed a smartphone application for patients with RA to assess the safety and efficacy of patient-initiated care, compared with usual care. By answering a weekly Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 (RAPID3) questionnaire, patients were able to monitor their own disease activity between clinic visits.

I wouldn’t normally look to professional basketball as a model for healthcare, but sometimes answers come from unexpected places. The observation that elite athletes are not like you and me—medically speaking—is not new. In the second century AD, the pontifex maximus in Pergamum recognized this fact and appointed Claudius Galen physician to the gladiators, making…
The final rule, issued Nov. 2, finalizes many policies in the July proposed rule, including the decreased conversion factor, billing for shared visits and teaching services, the continuation of telehealth services and inclusion of an ACR-led Merit-Based Incentive Payment System Value Pathway.

Vaidehi R. Chowdhary, MD, & Jane E. Dee, BA, MALS |
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated wide disparities that exist in the U.S. healthcare system. During the pandemic, the clinical practice in the Section of Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology at Yale School of Medicine (YSM), New Haven, Conn., rapidly pivoted from face-to-face visits to telehealth to keep our patients and providers safe. Many patients quickly adapted and…