ACR representatives outlined its 2025 legislative priorities, including fixing the MPFS, reforming prior authorization & protecting telehealth reimbursement.


ACR representatives outlined its 2025 legislative priorities, including fixing the MPFS, reforming prior authorization & protecting telehealth reimbursement.
Although many rheumatology priorities were cut from big funding bills in the 118th Congress, some policy victories and signals of progress set the stage for the new year

ACR advocates recently returned to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress as part of the Advocates for Arthritis fly-in conference on Sept. 26. This annual event brings together rheumatology professionals to advocate on behalf of the rheumatology community. Core issues on which the advocates focused this year include lowering the out-of-pocket cost of…
What is RheumPAC? RheumPAC is the ACR’s nonpartisan political action committee (PAC) that works to elect and support pro-rheumatology candidates. It is the only PAC dedicated to the interests of the rheumatology profession. RheumPAC was created 10 years ago with the mission of educating, electing and supporting federal lawmakers who understand and can positively address…

The U.S. Congress refers to the bicameral legislature, consisting of the 435 voting and six non-voting members of the House of Representatives and the 100 members of the Senate. When we visit D.C. or express our policy positions to Congress, our message would ideally reach every member. The ultimate goal is to reach all 535…

Chris Morris, MD |
If you speak to any advocate for rheumatology, each of us has an “Aha! moment,” when we learned the importance of advocacy. My own came a dozen years ago. I was meeting with a legislative aide to a local congressman who was a senior member of the committee overseeing Medicare. He introduced himself as the…

Here’s a trivia question: Where were the big ideas for the field of biotechnology first discussed? Answer: At a since-demolished delicatessen in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii. Go figure. The year was 1972, and Stanley Cohen, MD, professor of medicine at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., and Herbert Boyer, PhD, a former professor and biochemist at the…

Sharad Lakhanpal, MBBS, MD, & Afton Hassett, PsyD |
We can’t change the direction of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. The origin of this proverb is unclear. Some citations link it to ancient Hindu philosophers, and others suggest the origin may be closer to home (i.e., Jimmy Dean or Dolly Parton). Nonetheless, the sentiment is apt: We are living in an…

Alexandra Perel-Winkler, MD, & Christopher A. Mecoli, MD |
Introduction Interest in rheumatology continues to grow, with more than 240 new adult and pediatric fellows to begin their training in the coming academic year. Given the broad and diverse career opportunities, it is an ACR goal to help guide trainees in their career decisions and professional development. Rheumatology fellowship often marks the transition from…

On May 11, ACR leadership representatives from the Board of Directors, the Affiliate Societies Council and the Committee on Government Affairs and RheumPAC will take the ACR’s policy messages to Capitol Hill for the Advocacy Leadership Conference. There is power in numbers, so we hope you will participate in our Virtual Hill Day by visiting…