American College of Rheumatology

Negotiating a contract for a position in academia, industry, or private practice can be a complex and nerve-wracking process, with many physicians unsure of which questions to ask and which elements of their compensation beyond salary are negotiable.

Although there is some evidence showing treatment with medical marijuana can benefit patients with arthritis, chronic pain, and other conditions, there are also serious concerns over quality control, non-standardized dosing, and other potential safety risks.

Transitioning an adolescent or teenager from a pediatric rheumatologist to an adult rheumatologist can be a very delicate and complicated process. With so many pitfalls along the way, it's easy to see why this problem has been occurring more and more. The good news? It's a very "fixable" problem.

With Medicare and Medicaid incentives scheduled to start this year, physicians owe it to their patients and their practices to learn about the requirements to qualify as meaningful users of health care technology.

Professor Anthony Woolf, Consultant Rheumatologist at the Royal Cornwall Hospital and Professor of Rheumatology at the Peninsula Medical School, Truro, UK, posed a very important question in his presentation at ACR on Monday: "How do we get policymakers to take musculoskeletal conditions seriously?"

In this video, Dr. Joseph Kim speaks about his experience at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Conference in Chicago, IL.

All practices should perform self-audits of their medical and billing records to ensure that they are properly documenting care and receiving the maximum allowable reimbursement.

Researchers using fMRI claim that the unique structural changes observed in the brains of patients with osteoarthritis can be used to predict placebo response.

In this interview Joseph Kim, MD, talks with Dr. Kenneth G. Saag about the major highlights of the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting.

James B. Maas, PhD, is a Cornell University professor who knows a heck of a lot about sleep and how it impacts our bodies. But this session focused less on how rheumatology was involved (although Maas did say it was up to rheumatologists to find the proper medication that would not impact their patients' sleep patterns), and more on the general need for a proper night's rest.

HCPLive will be providing live coverage from this year's ACR/ARHP Scientific Meeting starting Sunday, November 6.

Consuming even one serving per day of sugar-sweetened soda or orange juice significantly increases the risk of developing gout.

Drug elevates lipid particles that are thought to be protective, leaves proatherogenic particles unchanged, and reduces markers of inflammation.

Osteoporosis guidelines and a Web-based tool allow physicians to identify patients for treatment and calculate 10-year fracture risk.

Study suggests that anti-tumor necrosis factor inhibitors may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Early treatment with urate-lowering therapy not only prevents gout, it also may reduce cardiovascular disease and stroke mortality.

People with elevated uric acid levels are more likely to develop hypertension. However, uric acid may not directly cause elevated blood pressure.

Bonus coverage of study results announced at ACR/ARHP 2010 showing the effects of statins on cardiovascular disease risk in children with lupus.

Researchers report disappointing study results showing that vitamin D supplementation has no effect on slowing the progression of knee osteoarthritis.

Advice for rheumatologists on selecting the right practice and key terms of employment to consider when negotiating a private practice contract.

Studies show that statins should not be routinely prescribed in children and adolescents with lupus despite their increased risk of atherosclerosis.

Investigational drug achieves promising results in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who previously had an inadequate response to DMARD therapy.

Although mortality is not increased in patients with fibromyalgia, the risk of death from accidents and suicides is increased in these patients.

Ultrasound-guided steroid injections for knee osteoarthritis are less painful, provide more pain relief, and cost less than conventional palpation.

The use of special mobility shoes can help ease knee pain and slow disease progression in people with osteoarthritis.

Revised evidence-based guidelines for non-pharmacologic treatments of osteoarthritis were unveiled at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the ACR.

Individuals with RA exhibit an overabundance of the prevotellaceae family and porphyromonas genus of bacteria compared to healthy people.

Data from the 2010 ACR Annual Meeting suggest that new criteria that incorporate genetic risk factors can identify patients at high risk for RA.

Study results presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the ACR suggest that early treatment of even undifferentiated RA can improve outcomes.

Systemic inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis disease activity may contribute to the progression of atherosclerosis.