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Copay Assistance Programs Help Patients but Confuse Them Too
"If you're having trouble paying for your medications, Drug Company X may be able to help."
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2020 Rheumatology Year in Review
2020 was historic, memorable and game-changing. Under the cloud of COVID-19, there were many significant and memorable advances and setbacks for the rheumatology world. In our accounting of most read articles for 2020, (not surprisingly) 17/20 were COVID-related.
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Delays in Diagnosis of Axial Spondyloarthritis
The diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis (and anklylosing spondylitis) (axSpA) is often delayed and usually not diagnosed by rheumatologists; a recent metanalysis shows that longer delays were attributable to lower education levels, younger age at onset and absence of extra-articular manifes
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Hydroxychloroquine Shortage During COVID-19
According to a recent report in Annals of Rheumatic Disease, public enthusiasm for hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) created significant access issues for rheumatic patients in the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Medicare's 'Most Favored Nation' Drug-Pricing Rule in Limbo
The fate of the Trump administration's "most favored nation" (MFN) rule for bringing down prescription drug prices remains uncertain as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to assume office later this month.
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RheumNow Podcast – Lights, Camera, Zoom (1.8.2021)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal articles and favorite blogs from this past week on RheumNow.com.
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Adherence to Hydroxychloroquine Lowers Lupus Mortality
A lupus cohort study from British Columbia, Canada has shown that medication adherence with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is associated with a 71% to 83% lower mortality.
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EULAR Guidance on Patient Adherence to Meds
Non-adherence may be the single most untold risk to suboptimal outcomes in the care of musculoskeletal disease. It has been estimated that 30-80% of patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) are nonadherent to prescribed regimens. EULAR has commissioned a task force
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Telemedicine Less Utilized in the South and Urban Areas
MMWR has reported on a July 2020 survey study from 1,009 Health Resources and Services Administration–funded health centers showing that urban Health centers were more likely to provide virtual visits than those in rural areas.
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Best of 2020: New EULAR/ACR Classification Criteria for SLE
The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) have jointly developed new classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); prompted by the need for criteria that were both highly sensitive and specific. The net result is improved sensitivity and specificity, but the use of positive ANA requirement along with a longer list of weighted criteria ensures its utility in SLE research (including early or latent SLE), but not clinical practice.
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Best of 2020: Infusions in the Time of Coronavirus
After years of bemoaning the challenges of telemedicine, our rheumatology clinic transition entirely to a remote clinic in the space of a week. One of the few good things to come out of this crisis is that we may learn that in-person visits are not as critical as we thought, which may in turn help our specialty’s access issues. The only thing we can’t do remotely, however, are infusions.
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Encouraging Rheumatology Fellowship Match for 2021
The results of the National Residents Matching Program (NRMP) match in rheumatology are out and show that rheumatology fellowship was both competitive and highly sought after.
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Lung Cancer Survival With Autoimmune Disease
Lung cancer risk is often increased with inflammation and autoimmune disease; a recent analysis suggests that patients with autoimmune disease do not have worse survival, even though they may have received less than the standard-of-care treatments.
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RheumNow Podcast – Stop These COVID Mistakes (12.11.20)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on RheumNow.com.
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Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule Released
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid's CY 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule provides much-needed increases in Medicare reimbursement for the evaluation and management (E/M) services provided by rheumatologists and other cognitive care specialties to Medicare beneficiaries.
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Colchicine Approval Took a Huge Toll on CMS
Colchicine, the old gout drug often cited as a cheap anti-inflammatory, hasn't been such a good deal since FDA approval, a study in JAMA Internal Medicine showed.
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US Differs from Worldwide Drug Reimbursements
"The US has nearly 4.5% of the world’s population but accounts for more than 40% of global drug spending" reports JAMA Internal Medicine. US drug prices are nearly double those of Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, and the US spends twice as much on retail and nonretai
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