Description of self-efficacy for managing symptoms and emotions in a large rheumatology clinic population.

Objectives: Self-efficacy is the inner confidence in one's ability to manage specific goals or tasks. The purpose of this study was to describe self-efficacy for people living with various rheumatologic disease and explore its associations with health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Methods: This study was a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of patients in a large rheumatology division who had office visits and completed questionnaires from May 2022 to January 2023.

Impact of Cost-Sharing Increases on Continuity of Specialty Drug Use: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Objective: To examine the impact of cost-sharing increases on continuity of specialty drug use in Medicare beneficiaries with multiple sclerosis (MS) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Data Sources/study Setting: Five percent Medicare claims data (2007-2010).

Study Design: Quasi-experimental study examining changes in specialty drug use among a group of Medicare Part D beneficiaries without low-income subsidies (non-LIS) as they transitioned from a 5 percent cost-sharing preperiod to a ≥25 percent cost-sharing postperiod, as compared to changes among a disease-matched contemporaneous control group of patients eligible for full low-income subsidies (LIS), who faced minor cost sharing (≤$6.

Effect of a Decision Aid on Access to Total Knee Replacement for Black Patients With Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Black patients with advanced osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee are significantly less likely than white patients to undergo surgery. No strategies have been proved to improve access to surgery for black patients with end-stage OA of the knee.

Objective: To assess whether a decision aid improves access to total knee replacement (TKR) surgery for black patients with OA of the knee.

Specialty Tier-Level Cost Sharing and Biologic Agent Use in the Medicare Part D Initial Coverage Period Among Beneficiaries With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: To examine associations between specialty tier-level cost sharing and use of biologic agents for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) during Medicare Part D's initial coverage period (ICP).

Methods: This was a retrospective study using 2007-2010 5% sample Medicare files to examine RA patients with use of a Part D RA biologic agent in the prior year. Patients without low-income subsidies (non-LIS group), who faced specialty tier-level cost sharing, were compared to a control group of low-income subsidy patients (LIS group), who faced nominal out-of-pocket costs in the ICP.

An observational pre-post study of re-structuring Medicine inpatient teaching service: Improved continuity of care within constraint of 2011 duty hours.

Background: Implementation of more stringent regulations on duty hours and supervision by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in July 2011 makes it challenging to design inpatient Medicine teaching service that complies with the duty hour restrictions while optimizing continuity of patient care.

Objective: To prospectively compare two inpatient Medicine teaching service structures with respect to residents' impression of continuity of patient care (primary outcome), time available for teaching, resident satisfaction and length-of-stay (secondary endpoints).

Design: Observational pre-post study.

Patient race and surgical outcomes after total knee arthroplasty: an analysis of a large regional database.

Objective: To examine racial differences in surgical complications, mortality, and revision rates after total knee arthroplasty.

Methods: We studied patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty using 2001-2007 Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council data. We conducted bivariate analyses to assess the risk of complications such as myocardial infarction, venous thromboembolism, wound infections, and failure of prosthesis, as well as 30-day and 1-year overall mortality after elective total knee arthroplasty, between racial groups.

Race/ethnicity and use of elective joint replacement in the management of end-stage knee/hip osteoarthritis: a review of the literature.

Although much research has documented disparities exist for utilization of TJA, additional studies have shown that we have not narrowed the gap. Because multiple studies have shown that insurance and access to care are not necessarily underlying causes for these disparities, other studies have shown that there are real and significant differences between racial/ethnic groups in preferences for and expectations of joint arthroplasty. Additional research has established there are racial differences in certain postoperative processes and outcomes.

Measurement and rates of persistence with and adherence to biologics for rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review.

Background: Biologics are an important addition to the conventional care of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Poor persistence with and adherence to biologics can undermine the effectiveness of these medications. There are no standardized methods to track persistence with and adherence to biologics.

Adherence, discontinuation, and switching of biologic therapies in medicaid enrollees with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: This study examined adherence, discontinuation, and switching of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) biologics over a 1-year period after initiation of the biologic treatment in Medicaid patients with RA.

Methods: The study sample consisted of Medicaid patients with RA in California, Florida and New York who had newly initiated etanercept (n=1359), anakinra (n=267), or infliximab (n=1012) between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2002. Adherence (proportion of days covered (PDC)≥0.

Scleromyxedema: a case series highlighting long-term outcomes of treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG).

Scleromyxedema is a rare disease characterized by mucin deposition in skin and other organs and the production of a monoclonal IgG protein. Herein we describe our experience with a series of patients with this condition and specifically focus on the use of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) for long-term management. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical manifestations of 10 patients evaluated at our center, highlighting the potential organ involvement.

Quantitative multiplex methylation-specific PCR assay for the detection of promoter hypermethylation in multiple genes in breast cancer.

If detected early, breast cancer is eminently curable. To detect breast cancer in samples with little cellularity, a high level of sensitivity is needed. Tumor-specific promoter hypermethylation has provided such a valuable tool for detection of cancer cells in biological samples.