Practice Patterns of PJP Prophylaxis Among ID Physicians

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While the incidence of pneumocystis pneumonia (PJP) is low is patients with rheumatologic diseases the mortality is quite high compared to PJP in patients with HIV and infection can be prevented with appropriate prophylaxis.

Comparative Risk of Biologic Therapies in RA Patients Undergoing Elective Arthroplasty

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During today’s plenary session Micheal D. George, et al. presented results of a study that sought to compare risk of post-op infections in RA patients undergoing arthroplasty exposed to biologic DMARDs versus methotrexate.

2017 MIPs Reporting, What You Need to Know

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As a follow up to Dr. Will Harvey’s lecture at ACR 2017 (session title: Holy MACRA! How to Survive and Thrive in the New Era of MACRA, MIPS, and APMs), here are the keys for reporting your collections.

Who Are We Doing This For?

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We take many things for granted. I walked 11,151 steps today going from sessions to posters and exhibit halls to learn as much as I can to take back to my clinic so I can help my patients.  My feet were hurting, and my back bothered me as I tried to get comfortable for the next lecture; yet, these minor discomforts are nothing compared to what our patients experience on a daily basis.

Podcast of ACR17 Day 2

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Check out this compilation of our ACR17 Day 2 videocasts merged into a one hour podcast !

Tech Tools for Rheumatologists Version 3.0

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ACR 2017 - Day 1 Highlights

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Curtis and colleagues presented a plenary session that analyzed the duration of drug holidays and the risk of subsequent fractures (FX) in women starting bisphosphonates (BP).

RA and Cardiac Co-Morbidities

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We know that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in RA and that traditional risk factors do not fully account for increased risk.

Complementopathies: Redefining Old Diseases

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From Dr. Michelle Petri’s lecture on Antiphospholipid Syndrome Updates at ACR17 Review Course on Saturday, I learned that there is now a new class of diseases called the complementopathies.  This was the first time I heard of this term; how many patients did I misdiagnose who really had this and what are the ICD10 codes?!

The Red Eye in the Rheumatology Patient

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Professor Rosenbaum is well known for his expertise in rheumatic eye disease and he gave a great summary of how to approach your patient having a red eye.

Key Takeaways from ACR Review Course

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The ACR Review Course was superb once again from top to bottom, from Blue Fingers to Practical Treatment of RA. Every year I wonder if I should skip it, but each year I go. And I have never regretted it. Here are my take-home messages and “pearls” from the ACR Review Course.

2018 Changes for MOC: More Options, But Is It Better?

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Responding to criticisms that the 10 year maintenance of certification exam is expensive, time-consuming, and not reflective of clinical practice, the American Board of Internal Medicine recently issued changes to their requirements, allowing more options for physicians to recertify.

Lilly's New Data at ACR 2017

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Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced that it will present new data for baricitinib and Taltz® (ixekizumab) at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP) annual meeting taking place Nov. 3-8, 2017, in San Diego, Calif.

Crescendo ACR Presentations

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Crescendo Bioscience, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Myriad Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MYGN), today announced that six studies on Vectra® DA will be featured at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) meeting being held Nov.

ACR 2017 Playbook

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The annual ACR/ARHP meeting, which begins today, Sunday November 5th, is for many the premier meeting in rheumatology. The good news is that RheumNow and its expanded faculty will cover the meeting today and each day until Thursday. I haven’t missed an ACR meeting since 1984. In this span of 30 years I have acquired insights on how to navigate such a big meeting. When I say big, I mean over 15,000 attendees from over 100 countries swarming throughout a convention center that has the elements of the Texas state fair, Costco gone wild and a sold-out Margaritaville concert. Here's my ACR Playbook.

CALM Study: Tight Control with Anti-TNF Wins in Crohn's Disease

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Not unlike rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory disorders, therapeutic efficacy in Crohn's disease (CD) is often assessed clinically. There is growing use and interest in biomarkers of intestinal inflammation, such as faecal calprotectin and C-reactive protein.

NSAID and Opioid Adverse Event Reports from MedWatch

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One-third of adults in the USA experience chronic pain and take prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen, or opioids.

High Volume Lyme Disease Reporting in Low Incidence Arkansas

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Even though Arkansas lies on the edge of the geographic range of the principal Lyme disease tick vector, Ixodes scapularis, the risk for Lyme infection is low, and no confirmed Lyme disease cases were reported in Arkansas during 2008–2014 (1)

New EULAR/ACR Classification Criteria for Adult and Juvenile Myositis

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The European League Against Rheumatism and the American College of Rheumatology (EULAR/ACR) have developed classification criteria for idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) based on data from 976 IIM patients (74% adults; 26% children) and 624 non-IIM patients with mimicking conditions (82% ad

Death Rates from Lupus Remain Disproportionately High

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The Annals of Internal Medicine reports that despite improving trends in mortality, death rates from systematic lupus erythematosus (lupus) remain high compared to those in the general population, and disparities persist between subpopulations and geographic regions. Underreporting of lupus on death certificates may have resulted in underestimates of mortality rates.