Rheumatic Disease Awareness Month

September 30, 2019

Only 60 percent of patients with rheumatic disease are treated by a rheumatologist, 90 percent have health insurance, but 60 percent struggle to pay for healthcare expenses, survey shows.

September 30, 2019

A new survey by the American College of Rheumatology shows that one in four Americans have rheumatic disease. Among the surveyed patients, 50 percent were forced into step therapy.

September 27, 2019

As we say goodbye to September and Rheumatic Disease Awareness Month, we'd like to take a quick look at access to care for patients with rheumatic disease. In this slideshow, we highlight the best and worst performers (spoiler alert: only one state received an A.)

September 26, 2019

Patient visits can be highly complex and stressful for both patient and physician, but good manners can make the difference between a successful visit and a poor one. In this slideshow, we highlight 13 tips that may lead to better patient encounters.

September 25, 2019

The quality of doctor-patient communications varies, says Susmita Pati, M.D. “In general, many people feel that many physicians don't communicate very well. On the other hand, there are plenty of folks who feel they have done really great.”

September 25, 2019

The price of a medication can be a significant factor in poor adherence to treatment, and few other specialties have higher medication prices than rheumatology. How can rheumatologists help their patients navigate the system so that they can get the best medication at the best price?

September 18, 2019

ACR has released the results of a new patient survey that shows one in four patients live with rheumatic disease and although most have health insurance, they still have substantial out of pocket costs. The survey shows that many patents have difficulty getting prescribed medications due to step therapy, a controversial health insurance program that requires patients to use the most cost-effective drug therapy instead of the therapy recommended by their physician.

September 18, 2019

Rheumatology, the journal of the British Society for Rheumatology, is offering free access (through December 31) to its ten most highly cited papers of 2017 and 2018. In this slideshow, we highlight the 10 most cited articles.

September 05, 2019

Affordability is a leading cause of drug abandonment among rheumatology patients. Back in April, the American College of Rheumatology issued a series of position statements designed to control drug costs while improving patient outcomes.

September 05, 2019

Better treatment outcomes have been documented in studies when physicians and pharmacists work together. But it can be challenging, especially with changes in policies and procedures. In this article, Lisa Schwartz, PharmD., outlines the pros of teaming up.