Healio Rheumatology

Physicians should be aware of ‘perils and pitfalls’ of AI

Rob Volansky — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:30:00 Z

Rheumatologists should approach the use of AI platforms with enthusiasm and caution in equal measure, according to a presenter at the AWIR annual conference.
“Rheumatologists are commonly using AI both personally and professionally,” Jeffrey Curtis, MD, MS, MPH, Marguerite Jones Harbert-Gene V. Ball endowed professor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told Healio.
In his presentation, Curtis conducted an informal poll of the AWIR audience that suggested “probably 80%” of rheumatologists report using AI platforms at least weekly, he said.
“Like

Study sheds light on molecular basis for rheumatoid arthritis

Ian Mantel, PhD; Rob Volansky — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 09:30:00 Z

A deep analysis of synovial tissue from patients with rheumatoid arthritis revealed fibrin-rich niches containing SPP1hi macrophages and remodeling fibroblasts, which may provide future therapeutic targets.
In a study published in Science Translational Medicine, Ian Mantel, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at Hospital for Special Surgery and Weill Cornell Medicine, and colleagues noted that the mechanisms driving synovial tissue expansion in RA remain poorly understood and require further definition.
“Myeloid-rich RA synovial tissue may be driven not only by inflammation, but also by a tissue

How diaphragmatic breathing helps manage stress and pain

Ziya ("Z") Altug, PT, DPT, MS, DipACLM, OCS — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 20:41:38 Z

Scenario 1: Your patient is an executive at large company and experiences anxiety before the weekly board meeting. She wishes there were a simple strategy to help her cope.
Scenario 2: Your patient is a medical student and experiences stress from his workload. He needs a technique he could use before exams and to manage stress during the day.
Diaphragmatic may be a useful tool to manage stress and anxiety.
Persistent and unmanaged psychological stress may exacerbate many medical conditions and lead to pain, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, anxiety and depression. WHO states that every individual

With novel therapies on the way, ‘the outlook is bright’ in lupus

Rob Volansky — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:30:00 Z

Novel therapies may allow more patients with lupus to reach remission or low disease activity, according to a presenter at the AWIR annual conference.
“Although there has been significant improvement in outcomes for patients with lupus over time, we are still witnessing excessive morbidity and mortality,” Richard A. Furie, MD, chief of the division of rheumatology at Northwell Health, told Healio. “Our goals are to reduce disease activity, prevent flares and damage, and ultimately put patients into remission. Although the achievement of these goals requires a multifaceted

Healio AI, Healio LIVE expand access to CME in new partnership

Maddy Grieco — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 20:26:22 Z

Healio LIVE and Healio AI announced a partnership that will increase Healio AI’s access to educational programming, strengthening the HIPAA-compliant platform’s knowledge base, according to a press release.
The collaboration between Healio LIVE, which organizes live CME conferences, and Healio AI, which generates evidence-based responses to clinical questions, will provide relevant, critical and actionable insights to practicing clinicians and healthcare professionals (HCPs), according to the release.
“With this partnership, Healio AI is bridging the gap between the latest clinical information

Do GLP-1s belong in dermatology? Evidence suggests a growing role

Gabrielle M. Grasso — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:37:47 Z

GLP-1 receptor agonists are best known for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity, yet a growing body of evidence suggests their benefits may extend well beyond metabolic disease to dermatologic indications.
“GLP-1s are the surprise anti-inflammatory that no one saw coming,” Mona Shahriari, MD, FAAD, associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine, told Healio. “They do much more than help with weight loss. They also reduce systemic inflammation.”
Interest in GLP-1s’ dermatologic potential accelerated this year after the landmark TOGETHER-PsO trial showed that

ACR President: Federal grant changes would have ‘chilling effect’

Max R. Wursta — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:30:00 Z

The American College of Rheumatology has issued formal comment to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget expressing “deep concern” with proposed changes to federal grant regulations and the grantmaking process.
In a press release, the ACR said the proposed changes “would harm the competitiveness of the U.S. research enterprise and the nation’s ability to advance scientific discovery and public health, while wasting taxpayer resources.” In addition, the changes would allow “arbitrary grant termination without a process for recourse,” according to the ACR.
“We are putting our futures at risk

Study: Repeated weight changes linked to muscle loss

Maddy Grieco — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:30:00 Z

Weight cycling among patients with, or at risk for, osteoarthritis and long-term stable weight experienced greater thigh muscle loss compared with those who did not continuously lose and regain weight, according to a study in Radiology.
“Clinicians should pay attention not only to body weight but also to muscle health in patients with a history of repeated weight loss and regain,” Adrian Marth, MD, postdoctoral scholar of radiology at the University of California, San Francisco, told Healio.
Due to the lack of research on the association between weight cycling and sarcopenia, Marth

Social determinants can determine outcomes in rheumatology care

Rob Volansky — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 09:30:00 Z

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Social determinants of health contribute to significant disparities in rheumatology care, according to a presenter at the Rheumatology Nurses Society annual conference.
“We are so much more than our diagnosis or disease,” Nayimisha Balmuri, MD, MS, MSE, FAAP, FACR, assistant professor in clinical pediatrics in the Eudowood division of allergy, immunology and rheumatology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, told attendees. “There are patients that no matter what you prescribe, they always come back with active disease.”
Social

‘Difficult-to-treat’ rheumatology patients require holistic care

Rob Volansky — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 09:30:00 Z

The emergence of biologic therapies ushered in an era of unprecedented positive outcomes for patients with rheumatic and autoimmune diseases.
However, 30 years after the start of rheumatology’s “biologic era,” many patients still fail to respond to those medications, giving rise to a group of patients often described as “difficult to treat.”
Two recent viewpoint articles published by Gyorgy Sandor Nagy, MD, of Semmelweis University, in Budapest, Hungary; Iain B. McInnes, PhD, of the University of Glasgow; and Lilla Gunkl-Tóth, MD, from the University of Pécs and Semmelweis University, attempted

Patients comfortable with AI-created portal messages

Josh Friedman — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 18:51:15 Z

Many patients report high comfort with health systems using AI-written portal messages, noting it gets them information quickly and reduces clinician workload.
Their comfort comes with caveats, though. Patients want both clinician oversight and transparency that AI is being used.
“Pretty much everyone in our sample recognized that this could be a helpful tool,” Kellie Owens, PhD, assistant professor in the department of population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, told Healio.
“[However], patients were very clear that they see AI not as something they wanted to replace human judgment or

Michael Greger, MD: ‘Single swaps’ make a difference in nutrition

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:00:18 Z

Clinicians should look for supporting evidence when answering questions about the latest nutrition trends or providing dietary recommendations, according to Michael Greger, MD, FACLM.
“You don’t want to change your clinical practice based on one study,” Greger said during a Healio Community webinar. “We want overwhelming evidence of benefit before we recommend it.”
In the webinar, Michelle Tollefson, MD, FACLM, an OB/GYN and professor in the department of health professions at Metropolitan State University of Denver, spoke with Greger, a founding member and fellow

Speaker: Integrative medicine gives patients ‘another option’

Rob Volansky — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 09:30:00 Z

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Adding certain herbs and improved nutrition to Western medicine can have myriad benefits for patients with rheumatic and autoimmune conditions, said a presenter at the Rheumatology Nurses Society Annual Conference.
“Integrative medicine is about giving the patients another option,” Iris Zink, MSN, RN, ANP-BC, a rheumatology nurse practioner and co-owner of Pine Hollow Partners in East Lansing, Michigan, told Healio. “Many patients are scared of pharmaceuticals and western medicine since COVID.”
Zink said her clinic offers patients Western

Senate confirms Schwartz as CDC director

Sara Kellner — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 20:25:08 Z

Erica Schwartz, MD, JD, MPH, will become the first full-time director of the CDC in nearly 1 year after senators confirmed her to the post on Wednesday, largely along party lines.
Senators voted 51-44 in favor of Schwartz’s confirmation, with all Republicans voting “yea” and all Democrats except Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., voting “nay.”
Five senators — two Democrats and three Republicans — did not vote. Kaine was also the only Democrat who voted in support of her nomination in committee last week.
Schwartz served as deputy surgeon general during Trump’s first presidential term. She spent 24

5-step action plan aims to bridge psoriasis, metabolic disease gap

Gabrielle M. Grasso — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:36:31 Z

The International Psoriasis Council has released a list of five recommendations for prioritized action items that will help dermatologists incorporate metabolic disease considerations into psoriasis care.
Researchers attending the 2025 International Psoriasis Council Think Tank symposium identified metabolic disease management as the primary unmet need and future priority of psoriasis treatment, according to a summary paper published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Based on feedback from more than 150 survey responses from dermatologists, the five finalized action items

U.S. News announces 2026-2027 best hospitals

Andrew (Drew) Rhoades — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 12:03:57 Z

U.S. News & World Report released its 2026-2027 Best Hospitals rankings Tuesday.
This year’s edition features 505 hospitals across 49 states and Washington, D.C. “that have demonstrated superior patient outcomes for a variety of common procedures and conditions,” according to a press release.
“U.S. News’ performance-driven metrics ensure American families can confidently find and choose high-quality care, often right in their own communities,” Ben Harder, U.S. News’ chief of health analysis and managing editor, said in the release.
Harder added that this edition also includes four new

U.S. News names Johns Hopkins best hospital for rheumatology

Jason Laday — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 11:41:36 Z

U.S. News & World Report has again named Johns Hopkins the best hospital for rheumatology in the United States.
The publication’s 2026 to 2027 edition of its Best Hospitals rankings once again included Cleveland Clinic, Hospital for Special Surgery-New York Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, the Mayo Clinic and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the top five facilities for rheumatology.
The rheumatology rankings were based on expert opinion through a survey, while other specialties factored in various performance data, according to a press release from U.S.

Data: Oral health critical, overlooked in systemic sclerosis care

Maddy Grieco — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 13:48:36 Z

Oral health management and treatment strategies for orofacial manifestations are underutilized in patients with systemic sclerosis, according to results of an international survey published in Arthritis Care & Research.
“Orofacial manifestations are highly prevalent and meaningfully affect daily function, diet, confidence in care and quality of life, yet many patients [with systemic sclerosis] perceive these needs as overlooked,” Michael Hughes, BSc, MSc, MBBS, MRCP, FHEA, PhD, of the University of Manchester and the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, Salford Care

‘Fighting back’ a key element of the prior authorization process

Rob Volansky — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:30:00 Z

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Appealing claims denials in the prior authorization process requires continuous pressure, according to a presenter at the 2026 Rheumatology Nurses Society annual conference.
“I am not going to pretend in 45 minutes to tell you everything you need to know about prior authorizations,” Katie Taylor, CMPM, CRH-c, CRMS, an administrator with Carondelet Rheumatology, in Kansas City, Missouri, and treasurer for the National Organization of Rheumatology Managers, told attendees. “It is not fun and there are no shortcuts.”
In an interview with Healio, Taylor described the prior

Most rheumatology patients ‘can have successful pregnancies’

Rob Volansky — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 09:30:00 Z

Many rheumatic medications can be used with confidence in the pregnancy setting.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Many medications used in rheumatology are safe in pregnancy, and most patients with rheumatic diseases can have successful pregnancies, said a presenter at the 2026 Rheumatology Nurses Society annual conference.
“It is important to remember that a large proportion of our rheumatology patients can have successful pregnancies,” Cuoghi Edens, MD, an associate professor of internal medicine and pediatrics in the sections of rheumatology and pediatric rheumatology at the University of Chicago