A study of osteoarthritis patients, finds that pain is the primary driver for health care utilization, and that the presence of insomnia or depression augments health care use.  A total of 2976 OA patients were followed for 3 years and assessed for pain (Graded Chronic Pain Scale), insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index), and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire‐8), and health care use (from electronic health records).

 In August 2018, the CMS announced that Medicare Advantage (MA) plans would be allowed to utilize step therapy for Part B drugs. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) expressed strong concerns about this proposal. The rheumatology community received some good news in this week’s final rule from CMS, which makes changes to the original proposal and addresses several of the community’s recommendations.

Among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who had interstitial lung disease (ILD), the pattern of ILD did influence mortality, but other pulmonary factors also contributed, a meta-analysis suggested.

A lupus registry from San Francisco County analyzed racial/ethnic differences in lupus manifestations and found significant differences in SLE manifestations among racial/ethnic groups. Researchers found that Blacks, Asians/Pacific Islanders (API), and Hispanics are more likely to develop severe manifestations following a diagnosis of SLE. From their database, they identified 724 SLE patients, and identified specific features in different