Blogs
My Take on New Ocular Screening Guidelines for Plaquenil
A recent article published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology presented new recommendations for screening of patients being managed with hydroxychloroquine that changed the previous monitoring paradigm. More importantly, it has repositioned hydroxychloroquine from one of the safest medications that rheumatologists use to a drug that can have potentially significant ocular morbidity (if used in doses greater than 5 mg per kilogram and or for prolonged periods of time).
TIPS for Arthritis Travelers
Travel can be challenging for arthritis patients. Here are some useful tips to travel smoothly and pain free.
Georgia Society of Rheumatology: Education Leads the Way
Rheumatologists in Georgia and across the country are under extreme pressure to care for our patients. The Georgia Society of Rheumatology exists to stimulate interest and increase knowledge of arthritis and rheumatic diseases among physicians, allied health professionals, and lay advocates. Following are highlights of GRS issues and activities.
It's the engine that kills ya’, not the caboose
This past weekend I was fortunate to lecture at the Harvard Advances in Rheumatology Course, where I reviewed the safety issues surrounding the use of biologic therapies. In discussing infections, cancer, cardiovascular events, etc., it became very clear to me that these problems, while worrisome, are often escalated in their importance – all at the expense of what is most dangerous: RA itself.
Florida Society of Rheumatology Annual Report
Through educational, administrative and legislative efforts, FSR works for the betterment of rheumatology practices and patients in Florida. Here's how.EULAR 2016: Name that Country Part II
Like the EULAR Congress of 2010, the 2016 version was in the giant ExCel center out in the Docklands area. The meeting rooms are cavernous, big as some basketball stadiums. The ExCel is so big that it is served by two stations of the DLR railroad and it is probably long enough to function as a runway with planes that fly overhead on the way to London City Airport. Ed Sullivan would have called the ExCel “really, really big.” Donald Trump would say it is “yuge.”EULAR 2016: Name that Country - Part I
When I was just a lad in the 1950s, I used to enjoy a television quiz show called “Name that Tune.” This popular show, which was hosted by an amiable singer and comedian named George DeWitt, had a premise that was simple but appealing. The studio orchestra would start playing the notes of a song and the two contestants would compete to see who could identify the song first, running across the stage “to ring a bell and name that tune.”
Go Ahead, Jump!
You write the prescription, hand it to the patient and explain why it’s needed, how to take it and what the most common or most dangerous side effects might be. Comprehensive, reasonable, and professional. Certainly the patient should fill the prescription and start the drug.
My Nurse Practitioner
My NP is not only a great nurse, counselor, rheumatologist, complex disease manager, joint injector, diabetes expert, clinic leader, mother, wife, and friend – she’s the go to person if you’re a patient, coworker, colleague, cousin or neighbor. She is one of few great partnerships in my entire career. To go to battle with a NP at my side gives me a tremendous daily advantage.
The Purse Exam: a Forgotten Part of the Physical
Should you assess your patients' “purse-onality? The purse exam is an important part of the physical that can help make the diagnosis and improve patient outcomes. I often wonder if downsizing the purse should be part of the T2T (treat to target) initiative.
