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Obamacare Deficient in Rheumatologists, Other Specialists
The October 27 issue of JAMA reports a study of federal marketplace insurance plans shows roughly 15 percent completely lacked in-network physicians for at least one specialty, a practice found among multiple states and issuers.
Read ArticleFDA Panel Votes 10-4 to Approve Lesinurad for the Treatment of Hyperuricemia/Gout
Despite concerns over safety, the FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee voted favorably to approve lesinurad (LES) at a meeting held Friday, October 23, 2015. Overall, panel members felt the potential benefits of LES outweighed the safety concerns reviewed by the FDA presenters.
Read ArticleDecline in Physician Scientists Ahead
The Journal of Clinical Investigation reports a potential decline in the number of medical researchers in the future.
Read ArticlePhysicians Bash Meaningful Use at Open Forum
Members of two professional medical societies griped about what they view as the Obama administration's inept attempts to regulate electronic health records (EHRs) and shared their visions for the ideal online platform at a second "town hall" meeting here Tuesday.
Read ArticleACR/SPARTAN 2015 Recommendations for Ankylosing Spondylitis and Non-Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis
The ACR and SPARTAN (Spondyloarthritis Research and Treatment Network) has worked together to study 57 specific treatment questions regarding AS and SpA. The following guidelines have recently been published after conducting systematic literature reviews.
Read ArticleICD-10 Tips for Procrastinators
On October 1st, your coding memory will be getting a big and unwelcomed upgrade.
Even if the goverment shuts down, ICD-10 implementation goes forward.
Below are several sources to review what's ahead and what you should be focused on at this point.
Read ArticleMedical Societies to CMS: Not Ready for Stage 3 Meaningful Use
Dozens of medical societies pressed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to temporarily halt implementation of the final stage of Meaningful Use, a program that rewards and penalizes clinicians based on how effectively they use electronic medical records.
Read ArticleACR Position on MOC Highlighted in Newsweek
Newsweek has reported that the American Board of Internal Medicine has struggled in the last year with increasing criticism over its requirements for maintenance of certification, or MOC.
Read ArticleGouty Tomatoes, Alveolar Hemorrhage and Famous RA Faces: August 2015 Top Social Media News
In August, RheumNow published 76 tweets covering novel news, research and teaching points gleaned from the medical literature, regulatory reports and internet sources. We had a reach (impressions) of 60,800, with 45 mentions, and 2049 visits to RheumNow.com.
Read ArticleGout: New Classification Criteria from ACR/EULAR
The American College of Rheumatology and the European League against Rheumatism joined forces to finalize classification criteria for gout, a condition that affects 8.3 million Americans.
Read ArticleFunding for Rheumatology Research in Decline
The Rheumatology Research Foundation and Rheumatology News report that research projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) dropped by 52% from 2010 to 2014, while the number funded by private foundations fell by 29% over that period.
Read ArticlePriorities for NIAMS Research Funding
Dr. Steven Katz describes how NIAMS sets priorities for investing congressionally-appropriated funds.
Read ArticleSpecialty Society Guidelines Must Evolve to Improve
The current JAMA issue examines the process and potential flaws of society clinical practice guidelines -a timely commentary as we await the 2015 ACR RA treatment guidelines first presented at the 2014 ACR meeting in Boston and slated for upcoming publication in Arthritis & Rheumatology
Read ArticleDSB: Managing Methotrexate Toxicity
Methotrexate was first introduced in 1955 for leukemia and in 1986 became FDA approved for the treatment of adults with severe, active, rheumatoid arthritis or children with active polyarticular-course juvenile RA.
Read ArticleIs Morning Stiffness Important?
Morning stiffness? An oft-asked question, but does it have reliable discriminatory value?
Read ArticleResidents Satisfied and Optimistic
Recently released 2015 Medscape resident salary & debt report shows that most medical residents are satisfied with their compensation, professional relationships, and career choices.
Read ArticleIRB Conflicts of Interest Persist
Committees at academic institutions that make decisions on research and clinical trials may be conflicted, as nearly one-third of IRB members have some ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Read ArticleThe Differential Diagnosis of Heel Pain
A slim, yoga bending, middle aged school teacher seeks a rheumatology consultation to determine the cause and cure for her left lateral heel pain for the past 6 months. No trauma, no crazy footwear and no systemic symptoms, uveitis, or peripheral/axial arthritis.
Read ArticleRheumatology Leads the List in Drug Company Engagements
Based on recently released data, ProPublica.org has compiled a list of pharmaceutical payments made to 606,000 US physicians in the last year. Their analysis turned up big differences between the different specialties.
Read ArticleACP Backs Supreme Court Decision on Obamacare
ACP has endorsed the Supreme Court ruling that the premium subsidies created by the Affordable Care Act, essential to making coverage affordable to millions, will continue to be available in states where the federal government manages their health insurance marketplaces.
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