News

Managing Rheumatology Visits During the Coronavirus Pandemic

In this interview with Rheumatology Network, Dr. Andrew Concoff, Executive Vice President and Chief Value Officer of United Rheumatology, addresses best practices rheumatology practices may want to consider for managing patient visits.

The Typical Rules for a Rheumatology Visit Have Changed

In this interview with Rheumatology Network, Dr. Andrew Concoff, Executive Vice President and Chief Value Officer of United Rheumatology, discusses how the typical rheumatology patient visit has changed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Abatacept Lowers Diabetes Risk in RA

Abatacept (Orencia, Bristol Myers Squibb), a T-cell co-stimulation modulator for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis, appears to lower the risk of diabetes mellitus in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who are receiving biologic or targeted synthetic DMARDs.

Hydroxychloroquine Not Recommended for COVID-19 by NIH

This week, the National Institutes of Health issued treatment guidelines for the management of COVID-19. It does not include the use of pharmaceutical agents for pre or post-exposure prophylaxis, including hydroxychloroquine, except for within the confines of a clinical trial. This comes as good news to the rheumatology community. More in this article.

United Rheumatology Hosts Virtual Conference on Friday

United Rheumatology, a management services organization serving over 645 rheumatologists in 39 states, will host a one-day virtual clinical conference focusing on managing a rheumatology practice through the COVID-19 pandemic.

 COVID-19 pandemic, the Global Rheumatology Alliance

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Global Rheumatology Alliance has been created to collect data on how the virus is affecting patients with rheumatic diseases or those who are taking immunosuppressive therapies. The alliance, which includes 300 rheumatologists, scientists and patients from throughout the world, has created a registry for physicians to report COVID-19 cases.

Domestic violence COVID-19 coronavirus

Shelter-in-place orders have led to a "horrifying surge in domestic violence," says the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The World Health Organization asks that healthcare workers be cognizant of the signs and symptoms of domestic violence in their patients. In today's "Awkward Conversations" column, Dr. Kim Gorgens and Margaret Port cover domestic violence among chronically ill patients.

Impaired Microbiota May Lead to Spondyloarthritis

A comprehensive review of published studies on gut microbiota, immunity and arthritis suggests that having a microbial imbalance may precede the development of spondyloarthritides and osteoarthritis.

Hydroxychloroquine Production Surges for COVID-19

The rheumatology community has expressed concerns about the use of hydroxychloroquine sulfate for COVID-19 because the drug is used to treat lupus patients and is already in short supply. The FDA has taken steps to redistribute the drug to hospitals for COVID-19 patients despite the lack of extensive clinical trials testing.