Doctor’s Contracts: Pitfalls and Traps

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I have signed a few employment contracts in my career. Signing a legal document always makes me nervous. Did I forget to add something, was there something in the fine print I missed, should I have clarified a clause, what happens if I break a clause or cannot fulfill the contract obligations?

I spoke with Andrea Liberatore, JD, to navigate these questions and explain what to look for in a contract. 

Pain and Opioid Updates

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Today, the CDC and FDA provided new updates on the scope of pain in the USA and guidance on the use of opioids.

MMWR April 14, 2023

RA Patients on Biologics and tsDMARDs are still High Risk

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A new Swedish ARTIS registry study of key safety outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients receiving either targeted synthetic or biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/ts DMARDs, including Janus Kinase inhibitors (JAKi)), has been updated and affirms previously held risks.

Best Treatments for Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-associated Arthritis

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A retrospective study of cancer patients who developed immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated inflammatory arthritis (ICI-IA) shows that biologic DMARDs were more effective than conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs) in rapid control of arthritis.

Clinical Profile of RA-associated Interstitial Lung Disease

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A prospective, cross-sectional analysis of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) shows those with interstitial lung disease (ILD) tend to be older, obese and have a smoking history.

Female Force

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In medicine, a field where burnout is becoming the norm, there is much promotion of the idea of work-life balance. In reality, the scales between work and life aren’t really balanced. Is the potential for change on the horizon?

Industry Payments to Rheumatologists Dropped During COVID

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Having their clinics shut down and patients staying away during the COVID-19 pandemic was bad enough for physicians' finances, but now a new study finds that, at least for rheumatologists, payments from industry dried up as well.

Rheumatology Workforce: Is it a Women’s Issue?

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I recently sat down with Dr. Daniel Battafarano, chair of the ACR’s Workforce Solutions Committee, to discuss workforce study findings, their impact on the next few years, and proposed interventions to address these issues.

Rheumatologist - Work-Life Survey Results

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During the week of April 3, 2023, registered Rheumatologists responded to an email survey regarding work-life balance. The following are the results from 190 respondents - 53% were male (47% female) and 94% were from the USA.

Antiphospholipid Antibodies With Incident Cardiovascular Events

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Are antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular (ASCVD) event risk?  A cohort study has shown that aPL Abs are found in a substantial proportion of adults with ASCVD events and finding both positive aCL IgA and aβ2GPI IgA Abs independently predicted futur

Mentoring is Personal

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As I was training as a rheumatologist, I found myself drawn to rheumatologic disorders in older patients. In particular, I was intrigued by programmatic development that could improve both disease outcomes and older adults’ quality of life. This was not the “sexiest” topic in rheumatology and it was hard to figure out how to get started. I was extremely fortunate to find a mentor.

Gender Norms in Chronic Pain

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Sensitive women and stoical men are the prevalent images of people in chronic pain. Unwarranted differences in medical treatment may result, as a University of Gothenburg doctoral thesis emphasizes.

Disordered Pain Processing in Fibromyalgia

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Fibromyalgia is a mysterious chronic pain disorder that is difficult to treat. Its causes are also still largely in the dark.

Steroid-Sparing Rituximab in Polymyalgia Rheumatica

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BRIDGE-PMR proof-of-concept trial assessed the efficacy of rituximab (RTX) in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and showed that a single 1000 mg dose of lead to a significant number of glucocorticoid-free remissions after 1 year. 

British Society of Rheumatology Plans Revision of Systemic Sclerosis Guideline

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British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) last published its guideline for systemic sclerosis (SSc) in 2016. Given the many advances in the field the BSR has outlined their plans to update the management of SSc.

EMA Final Update on JAK Inhibitors and MACE, Malignancy & VTE Risks

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The EMA has updated recommendations regarding the use of JAK inhibitors by issuing a direct healthcare professional communication summarizing the data and warnings regarding an increased risk of malignancy, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), serious infections, VTE, and mortality in some patients receiving JAKi for the treatment of chronic inflammatory disorders.