All News
Opioid Crisis Costs USA $1.5 Trillion
Reuters has reported the results of a Congressional report showing the economic toll of the opioid addiction and overdose crisis on the United States reached nearly $1.5 trillion in 2020 alone and is likely to grow.
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Rheumatology Leaders and Patient Advocates Convene on Capitol Hill
ACR members along with rheumatology patients gathered on Capitol Hill and urged federal lawmakers to support the HELP Copays Act, Safe Step Act, and Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act.
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ACR's State-by-State Report Cards for Rheumatic Disease
New report examines access, affordability, and activity and lifestyle factors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, evaluating how easy it is to live with a rheumatic disease in your state. No state scored an "A" or "F", and only two states improved their 2018 grades.
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70% of Older Adults Report Joint Pain
Dr. Beth Wallace and colleagues at the University of Michigan surveyed a national sample of older adults (50–80 yrs) and found that 70% currently report experiencing joint pain and 60% reported being told by a health care professional that they have arthritis.
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Doctor Appointment Wait TImes are Up
Forbes reports that a recent Merritt Hawkins survey shows that patients are waiting an average of 26 days for a scheduled appointment with a doctor.
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ACR Questions Medicare Proposed Cuts to Critical Services Reimbursement by Cognitive Specialists
In comments submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the CY 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program proposed rule, the American College of Rheumatology applauded proposals that would provide more flexibility and improve care coordination, while raising concerns about proposed cuts to reimbursement for critical services provided by rheumatologists and other cognitive specialists.
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Global Trends Informing the Future of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Finkh et al report on the prevalence and interesting trends in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including its higher prevalence in industrialized countries and declining disease severity over time.
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Goofy But True
Dr. Jack Cush discusses declining survival rates in the USA, FDA approvals of new COVID subvariant boosters and other odd and possibly true new research reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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NICE Guidelines on Gout Diagnosis and Management
NICE (UK) has systematically reviewed current medical evidence and delivered a set of recommendations with consideration of cost effectiveness.
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Weight Loss Slows Knee OA Progression
Declines in body mass index (BMI) were linked with slower worsening of knee osteoarthritis (OA), according to data from three large longitudinal cohort studies.
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What to do with "no-shows"
A current Medscape article on patient "no shows" in private medical practice examines the cause and approach to the problem.
The most common reason for no shows is lack of knowledge about the scheduled appointment. Here are other common causes of no-shows, and how to address the problem.
Managing JDM with Calcinosis
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on RheumNow and discusses a case of refractory juvenile dermatomyositis with calcinosis.
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Black Adults Have a Higher Gout Risk
In a cross-sectional study of US adults, gout was more prevalent in black adults compared to white adults; possibly explained by sex-specific dietary differences and social determinants of health and clinical factors.
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Hit Parade Review (8.12.2022)
We've got a lot to discuss this week: psoriasis; fatigue; sleep; sural nerve biopsies; uveitis and SpA; diet and RA; tofacitinib and the ORAL surveillance study; what not to take with mycophenolate - and more. In what order should these items be discussed? This week the run down is based on popularity, measured by rheumatologist engagements on the website and social media.
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Arthritis - a Leading Chronic Condition Among Young Adults (18─34 Yrs)
MMWR from last week focused on chronic conditions in young adults showing they are common, costly, and major causes of death and disability. Overall arthritis ranks behind five more common chronic condition in young adults - obesity, depression, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and asthma.
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The Approach to Difficult to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis
Tan and Buch have reviewed the approach to difficult to treat rheumatoid arthritis (D2T-RA), with a new EULAR definiation of D2T-RA to foster an approach rationale and concideration of treatment options.
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U.S. News & World Report’s 2022–23 Rheumatology Rankings
The Johns Hopkins Hospital has repeated its top rank among US Rheumatology centers - ranking #1 for the 18th year in a row, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2022–23 Best Hospitals list released yesterday.
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Can Antimalarials be Withdrawn in Quiescent Lupus?
Antimalaria (AM) therapy is a cornerstone to the management of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), yet a recent study suggests that slowly tapering AM yields a lower rate of SLE flares.
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Viscosupplementation Ineffective in Knee Osteoarthritis
The BMJ has published the results of a metanalysis showing strong conclusive evidence that viscosupplementation in knee osteoarthritis (kOA) has minimal effects on kOA pain, and also reveals strong evidence of an increased risk of serious adverse events.
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ICYMI: 2021 Rheumatology Year in Review
For 2022, let's look our top 10 list of advances, game-changers, worries and those better medical practices that evolved during 2021.
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