The Rheum Advocate: February 26, 2026

Rheumatology Organizations Urge NIH to Act Quickly on NIAMS Leadership

The ACR, Rheumatology Research Foundation, and Arthritis Foundation are calling on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to move swiftly in naming a new director for the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) following the end of Dr. Lindsey Criswell’s tenure.

NIAMS drives critical discoveries that improve care for nearly 60 million Americans living with arthritis and rheumatic diseases. Under Dr. Criswell’s leadership, the institute strengthened collaboration and innovation across the research community.

“Dr. Criswell’s visionary leadership helped advance care for millions,” said ACR President William F. Harvey, MD, MSc, FACR. “Appointing a permanent successor quickly is vital to maintain research continuity and confidence across the field.”

Leaders from the Rheumatology Research Foundation and Arthritis Foundation stressed that delays in leadership—both at NIAMS and across NIH, where more than half of institutes currently lack permanent directors—threaten progress in research at a critical time. Read the press release >

ACR to Submit Comments on DOE’s Proposed Rule Threatening the Health Care Workforce. Make Your Voice Heard by March 2!

The ACR is strongly opposing a new Department of Education (DOE) proposed rule that would redefine “professional degrees” in a way that could worsen existing shortages across the physician, nursing, and allied health professions.

This rule is open for comment until March 2, 2026—and you can submit your own feedback!

What’s at Stake

The proposal would limit which advanced health care degrees qualify as “professional degrees” for student loan purposes. Under the rule:

• Only 11 degrees would retain “professional” status.
• Graduate programs in advanced nursing (MSN, DNP, PhD), physician assistant, physical and occupational therapy, and audiology would be reclassified as “non-professional.”
• Students in these programs would face borrowing caps of $20,500 annually and $100,000 total under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

If finalized, this rule could deter talented students from entering vital health professions, further straining access to care—especially in rural and underserved communities.

The ACR Is:

• Preparing formal comments urging the DOE to maintain professional degree status—and full loan eligibility—for all advanced health programs.
• Leading a wide coalition of medical organizations to oppose the rule and protect the future of the health care workforce.

How You Can Help

Add your voice! Submit comments to the DOE by March 2, 2026, to help safeguard access to team-based care and support the next generation of health professionals.

Act Now! Help ACR Safeguard Rheumatology Infusion Services in CMS Drug Negotiations

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced the selection of 15 prescription drugs for the third cycle of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program (MDPNP).

Why This Matters for Rheumatology

For the first time, the list includes drugs covered under Medicare Part B, involving physician-administered therapies, expanding beyond the program’s earlier focus on Medicare Part D prescription medications.

Negotiations with participating manufacturers will take place in 2026, with any negotiated or renegotiated prices scheduled to take effect January 1, 2028.

While the ACR is supportive of several drug pricing reforms of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in order to lower patient costs, the reimbursement structure of the MDPNP creates a critical flaw for infusion providers in the rheumatology community. The program’s pricing model fails to account for the costs that these rheumatology practices absorb daily: acquisition costs, handling and storage requirements, clinical oversight, patient education, adverse event management, and the overhead of maintaining a safe infusion facility for patients.

The ACR supports the Protecting Patient Access to Cancer and Complex Therapies Act (PACTA), H.R. 4299, which would prevent rheumatologists from being “caught in the middle” of IRA negotiations by allowing for government savings through direct payments from manufacturers to CMS, while still allowing patients to benefit from lower out-of-pocket costs based on negotiated prices. Send a letter to Congress in support of PACTA through the ACR’s Legislative Action Center >

In addition, CMS is currently accepting written input from impacted stakeholders, including physicians and other care team members, with a submission deadline of March 1, 2026. The submission portal is now open. View submission instructions from CMS >

ACR Delivers High-Impact Practice Support and Exclusive Benefits for Members

Did you know that the ACR provides practical toolkits, templates, and how to resources to support day to day practice operations, coding, reimbursement, and compliance?

Your membership provides direct access to ACR practice experts who can answer individualized questions about coding, audits, Medicare, HIPAA, and other business challenges your practice might be experiencing.

Key Member Benefits

• Personalized support: ACR’s practice management team is available to work one-on-one with members on documentation, reimbursement, and payer issues, helping practices maximize revenue and minimize denials.
• Stronger reimbursement and payer advocacy: Insurance advocacy staff use member-reported problems to engage payers and push back on harmful utilization management and reimbursement policies.
• Integrated professional resources: The ACR connects members to broader clinical resources—such as evidence-based guidelines, clinical tools, and care team fact sheets—that support both better care and smoother practice operations.

Why It Matters for Your Practice

• Saves time by giving you ready-made tools and expert guidance instead of starting from scratch when rules or payer policies change.
• Protects revenue by helping you code correctly, respond to audits, and resolve payer issues more efficiently.
• Strengthens care delivery by aligning practice operations with ACR’s clinical standards, guidelines, and quality measures.

How Members Can Get Started

• Visit the Practice Help section on rheumatology.org to explore business, coding, and reimbursement resources tailored to rheumatology practices.
• Contact the ACR practice management team at practice@rheumatology.org with your specific questions to get customized guidance for your practice.

The Next Generation of the RISE Registry Is Here—Join the Preview!

On Thursday, March 5 at 1:00 PM EST, the ACR is excited to unveil the new RISE registry, designed with your practice in mind. Join us for a quick, interactive webinar to see how this smarter platform can make quality improvement easier—and more meaningful—for you and your team.

In just 30 minutes, you will:

• Take a guided tour of RISE’s fresh look and intuitive dashboard.
• Explore its full set of QPP reportable quality measures built specifically for rheumatology.
• Learn how to use RISE’s powerful data tools to discover insights that can drive better patient outcomes.

You will also meet the friendly RISE and IQVIA teams who support practices every step of the way—from setup to ongoing data and quality improvement support.

Whether you are thinking about joining RISE or simply curious about its new features, this session is the perfect chance to see what is possible.

Reserve your spot today!

Register Now

Calling All Rheumatology Leaders: Join the AMA House of Delegates

Are you ready to help shape national healthcare policy? The ACR is seeking rheumatology leaders to represent our specialty in the AMA House of Delegates. This is your opportunity to ensure the voice of rheumatology is heard on issues that impact patients and providers nationwide.

Thanks to its active membership and experienced delegation of representatives to the American Medical Association (AMA), the ACR has significant influence on the direction the AMA and the broader House of Medicine take on key issues impacting rheumatologists. The ACR’s delegation to the AMA House of Delegates (HOD) is soliciting interest from ACR members who wish to be considered for participation in future HOD meetings.

Interested candidates would potentially join the ACR’s delegation at a future meeting of the HOD, and possibly one or two HOD meetings each year, which are held in June and November. During these meetings, the ACR’s delegates advance issues and positions important to rheumatology, deliberate issues affecting healthcare, and vote on the positions and direction the AMA will take.

Prospective candidates must be:

• A member in good standing with both the ACR and the AMA
• Willing to work with the ACR delegates and staff and communicate back to the membership and leadership of the ACR

To indicate interest, write to advocacy@rheumatology.org, providing your statement of interest and CV, by March 6, 2026. Select applicants will be invited to conduct a virtual interview with the ACR delegation.

CMS Ending Paper CLIA Fee Coupons and Certificates March 1, 2026

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will move fully to electronic CLIA fee coupons and certificates for laboratories starting March 1.

What Rheumatology Practices Need to Know

• Paper CLIA fee coupons and certificates will no longer be issued or mailed after March 1, 2026.
• CLIA certification and survey fees must be paid online; checks will no longer be accepted.
• Practices that perform laboratory testing and do not transition to electronic notifications may experience billing and certification problems.

Action Steps for Your Practice

Make sure your in office lab or affiliated lab is signed up to receive electronic CLIA communications and that contact information is current:

• Email your state CLIA agency to enroll or update your email address (see CMS’s state agency contact list PDF).
• If your lab is accredited, contact your Accreditation Organization to update your information and ensure you are set up for electronic CLIA fee coupons and certificates.

This change does not apply to CLIA exempt states.