Articles By Jack Cush, MD
ACR Urges CMS to Reconsider Copay Assistant Programs in CMS Proposed Rule
01 February 2023
The Health and Human Services Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters proposed rule for 2024 does not revise policies related to copay assistance and patient deductibles.
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Hope for Biologic Treatment of Hidradenitis Suppurativa
01 February 2023
A meta-analysis of trials using biologics [adalimumab (ADA), ustekinumab (UST) and secukinumab (SEC)] in the the management of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) suggests promising results, but more controlled, rigorous studies are needed.
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Herpes Zoster with JAK Inhibitors
31 January 2023
JAK inhibitors are approved for several immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and carry a higher than usual risk of herpes zoster in certain conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and ulcerative colitis.
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Simon Says “Don’t Do This” (1.27.2022)
27 January 2023
Dr. Jack Cush reviews this week’s journal articles, focuses on studies that should not have been done and responds to viewer questions in Ask Cush Anything.
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VEXAS may be more common than expected
25 January 2023
A great study of a recently described rheumatologic/hematologic disorder VEXAS (vacuoles, E1-ubiquitin-activating enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic) syndrome recently appeared in JAMA, describing the frequency and presentations of UBA1 variant.
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A Shortage of Trust
24 January 2023
I wanted to complain about patients who complain, but guilt and common sense took over. I intended to declare the problem to primarily belong to the doctor, rather than the patient. To me, the solution to the patient’s consternation should begin and end with the source: me (you). My introspection, reasonings, and commandments were fine, but I kept running into the enigma of “Trust” – which can either be a speed-bump or chasm in our physician-patient relationships.
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Variable Pregnancy Outcomes with Belimumab in SLE
24 January 2023
An analysis of the belimumab clinical trials, the Belimumab Pregnancy Registry (BPR), and postmarketing/spontaneous reports looked at outcomes in pregnant systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) exposed to belimumab reported there are few pregnancies and confounding disease and comorbidity factors to
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Periprosthetic Joint Infections
23 January 2023
Recent NEJM has reviewed arthroplasty-associated infection and periprosthetic joint infections (PJI), noting this is a rare event; notably these infections are caused by skin microorganisms introduced during arthroplasty surgery or may be seeded post-surgically, via hematogenously spread or compromised local tissues (skin or bone).
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JAK-pot Study: To Cycle or Switch after JAK inhibitor Failure?
23 January 2023
Data from 17 international registries (JAK-pot collaboration) suggest that for Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients failing their first janus kinase inhibitor (JAKi), it did not matter if they were cycled to another JAKi or switched to a biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD).
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