Wisdom

Faith and Miracle Larry

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This week on the podcast, Dr. Jack Cush recalls what life was like early on during COVID, from March to June of 2020.  During this time, his close friend, Larry, contracted COVID-19 and was hospitalized, intubated and put on mechanical ventilation for nearly 2 months. Larrys recovery from the

Cost-Effective Use of Biological and Targeted Synthetic DMARDs

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An international task force of 13 European experts have developed evidence-based points to consider regarding the cost-effective use of biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) in the treatment of inflammatory rheumatic diseases (including rheumatoid

Marathon Running Not a Risk Factor for Arthritis

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Intensity of distance running had no bearing on the prevalence of hip and knee osteoarthritis among participants in recent editions of the Chicago Marathon, researchers reported here.

Rather, the risk factors for pain and arthritis were merely those seen in the general population: age

Half the Experts are Wrong (2.17.2023)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and tries to stump the expert panel this week on the podcast.

ChatGPT - A Boom or Threat to Scientific Publication?

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ChatGPT is a new, artificial intelligence chatbot that has dramatically changed the digital worlds of education, research, graphic design, statistics and more. While this AI driven platform has the untold potential in generating written content, there is considerable concern in assuring that 

Physician Burnout Remains, Less So in Rheumatology

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The 2023 Medscape Survey on Physician burnout ranks rheumatology at #10; which is down from #2 when the survey was last done in 2021.

The survey included over 9100 physcians from 29 specialties. Surprisingly, 53% of MDs claimed to be burnt-out; this was only 42% in 2018. 

AI Passes U.S. Medical Licensing Exam

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Two artificial intelligence (AI) programs -- including ChatGPT -- have passed the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), according to two recent papers.

The papers highlighted different approaches to using large language models to take the USMLE, which is comprised of three exams

Poorer health outcomes for at-risk patients with fractures

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People at high risk of fracture who also have complex or multiple chronic medical conditions are less likely to receive treatment for the underlying osteoporosis and also have poorer health outcomes, according to a new study from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.  

These

ACP Guidelines on Fracture Prevention in at-risk Adults

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The American College of Physicians (ACP) has updated its 2017 recommendations on pharmacologic treatment of primary osteoporosis or low bone mass to prevent fractures in adults. The full document and guideline can be found in the Annals of Internal Medicine. This guideline is the

2022 Rheumatology Year in Review

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2022 was a year of recovery, discovery, and some losses.  While still dealing with the aftermath of COVID-19, rheumatologists were resilient as leaders for their patients and research in advancing rheumatologic care.

Extreme Global Costs of Physical Inactivity

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A global, population-based study shows that physical inactivity is not only an important modifiable risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health conditions, it also imparts a considerable health and economic burden that is avoidable.

COVID-19 Vaccine Responses in Rheumatic Disease Patients

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Nature Reviews Rheumatology features a review of three notable papers that address the impact of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on people with inflammatory rheumatic disease. 

Studies on the efficacy and safety of the COVID-19 vaccines, have shown rapid and strong development of immunity in

Substandard Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Clinicians could improve outcomes in their patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by paying attention to certain markers of care quality, such as early referral to certified rheumatologists and prescribing standard drugs for RA, new research suggested.

ACR22 Will Present New Recommendations for Integrative Approach to RA Treatment

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On Sunday Nov. 13, 2022, at ACR Convergence 2022 meeting, the ACR will present a new guideline for Exercise, Rehabilitation, Diet and Additional Integrative Interventions for Rheumatoid Arthritis. This is the first

Lack of Gender Equity in Academic Rheumatology

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Evidence on gender equity in academic rheumatology in Europe is currently limited. This knowledge gap has a direct effect on the ability of professional bodies to improve gender equity. To address this, EULAR designed a study using web-based surveys to collect information; here are the results

Primer on Clinical Trials

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In this week's special podcast, Dr. Jack Cush offers a primer on rheumatology clinical trials, answering the question: should you be involved in research and clinical trials in rheumatology?

ACR Announces 2022 Award Recipients

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The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Association of Rheumatology Professionals (ARP) proudly recognizes the recipients of its 2022 Master of the ACR and ARP designations, ACR Awards of Distinction, and ARP Awards of Merit and Appreciation. The awards will be given to this year’s

RheumNow Podcast – “That’s Not My Name” (10.7.2022)

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Dr. Jack Cush goes off on "Untitling" (not using proper names/titles) in the clinic, in addition to reports on rheumatologist salaries, new drugs in phase 1-3 development and the range of COVID-19 MSK symptoms -- all from the past week on RheumNow.com.

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Physician Burnout Rising

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The NY Times has reported results of a study showing that nearly two-thirds of doctors are experiencing at least one symptom of burnout, with a marked increase since the onset of the pandemic.  These findings suggest that burnout rates amongst US doctors have risen to alarming levels.

Rheumatology Salaries and Career Choices

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A recent doximity report shows how rheumatology salaries increase by years in practice.  Their salary estimates are based on Doximity acquired data from over 200,000 physicians, along with publicly-available career and salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census. 

Women Doctors More Likely to Be Called By First Name in Patient Messages

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Female physicians were more likely to be called by their first names in electronic medical record (EMR) patient portal messaging, researchers found.

In adjusted analyses, women doctors were more than twice as likely as their male counterparts to be addressed by their first name in