The Rheum Advocate: March 12, 2026

ACR Awarded National Grant to Champion Age-Friendly Care in Rheumatology Practices

The ACR has been awarded a grant from the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS), in partnership with The John A. Hartford Foundation, to advance age-friendly care in rheumatology practices nationwide. The grant is part of a larger initiative supporting six specialty societies in integrating the Age-Friendly Health Systems 4Ms Framework—What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility—into outpatient specialty care for older adults.

How the grant will advance age-friendly rheumatology care:

Through this award, the ACR will lead a coordinated effort to develop and test age-friendly workflows and tools tailored to the needs of older adults living with rheumatic diseases and geriatric syndromes. Participating rheumatology practices will incorporate the 4Ms into routine visits, with a focus on aligning care with patient priorities, optimizing medications, supporting cognitive health, and promoting safe mobility.

The project will include creation of a Rheumatology Age-Friendly 4Ms Implementation Guide to support clinician training, education, and practice transformation. By partnering with diverse ambulatory practices, the ACR aims to identify scalable strategies that improve outcomes and patient experience for older adults with complex rheumatic conditions.
Read the press release >

New 2026 ACR Health Policy Statements Guide Advocacy on Access, Equity, and Workforce Issues

The 2026 ACR Health Policy Statements have been approved. This document reflects the official public policy positions of the College and is updated each year by the volunteers on the Government Affairs Committee and reviewed by the Board of Directors.

The DC advocacy team refers to this content to react appropriately to legislation and regulations, and this approved verbiage is used by the ACR and ARP membership along with lawmakers, regulators other policymakers, patients, media, and other stakeholders.

The major additions to the policy statements since the last approval by the Board of Directors in 2025 are new sections or major updates regarding the College’s support of:

• Access to Immunizations and Vaccinations
• Rights of Immigrants and Visa Holders
• Paid Family Leave
• Access to Medicaid
• State Prescription Drug Access Boards (PDABs)
• Workforce Equity, Access, and Opportunity

ACR 2026 Position Statements Reaffirm Commitment to Research Excellence, Environmental Health, and Workforce Equity

At the February 2026 ACR Board of Directors meeting, three position statements were approved to reflect the most current viewpoints on key issues affecting the rheumatology workforce, environmental health, and clinical research. Developed by the Committee on Rheumatologic Care (CORC) the two new statements address Women in Rheumatology and Environmental Health and Rheumatic Disease, and the updated position statement covers Comparative Effectiveness Research.

Women in Rheumatology

This new position statement highlights the importance of supporting gender equality with the rheumatology workforce and outlines the need for policies to promote salary transparency, equitable leadership opportunities, as well as workplace polices for family leave and lactation accommodations. These efforts aim to strengthen workforce participation and ensure diversity in the evolving rheumatology workforce.

Environmental Health and Rheumatic Disease

This new statement focuses on the growing recognition that environmental factors can play a role in progression, onset and the management of rheumatic diseases. It outlines support for increased research into environmental determinants of health and sustainable practices to reduce exposure while improving patient care.

Comparative Effectiveness Research

This updated statement emphasizes the importance of high-quality research in guiding clinical decision making while cautioning against the misuse of research findings to impose restrictive payer policies on patient care. It also highlights how comparative effectiveness research evaluates the relative effectiveness of diagnostic and treatment options in real-world settings.

These position statements reflect the ACR’s ongoing work to advance evidence-based care, supporting the rheumatology workforce, and addressing emerging factors that influence patient outcomes. Members are encouraged to review the full statements on the ACR website.

For questions or additional information on the position statements please contact ACR staff at practice@rheumatology.org.

Join RheumPAC’s Virtual Paint & Sip: Relax, Create, and Support Rheumatology Advocacy!

The RheumPAC Committee invites you to join a virtual Paint and Sip evening on Thursday, April 2 at 8:00 PM ET.

Please Note: RSVPs will not be accepted after Friday, March 20 to ensure that all attendees receive the event materials in time.

RSVP Now

Event Details

Attendees will hear from a special guest and be led through the creation of a fun art piece. Ticket prices range from $25 for FITs to $50 for ACR/ARP members. We also encourage attendees to use our option to bundle a ticket along with sponsored attendance for a fellow in training for $65!

All confirmed participants will receive a canvas, paint, brushes, and a gift card to purchase refreshments to enjoy during the event in advance of April 2. Zoom video call details will be distributed 48 hours in advance of the event.

Finally, the best part of supporting RheumPAC is that every dollar of your contribution goes directly to supporting pro-rheumatology candidates and lawmakers. Congress enacts health policies that directly impact your profession and your patients, and RheumPAC creates opportunities for the ACR to educate key policymakers on the importance and value of rheumatology. Invest in RheumPAC today!

ACR Insurance Subcommittee Supports Members Affected by Aetna Downcoding

The American College of Rheumatology’s Insurance Subcommittee (ISC) is monitoring member concerns regarding Aetna’s downcoding policy affecting Level 4 and 5 office visits.

Providers are encouraged to review claims and reimbursements carefully to identify potential downcoding and to monitor any communications from Aetna, including explanation of benefits (EOBs) or letters requesting medical record documentation. It is important for practices to ensure timely responses to these requests to avoid any delays in claims processing.

Practices that believe claims were inappropriately downcoded can contact the ACR coding department at practice@rheumatology.org. The team can review and audit submitted claims and provide a report outlining their findings.

ACR and AMA Advocacy: Advancing Physician Payment, Prior Auth Reform, and Medicaid Access

ACR staff attended the American Medical Association’s Advocacy Conference. Held each year in February, this event ensures that lawmakers get the physician perspective on what doctors and their patients need to thrive.

This year, legislative asks focused on reforms to Medicare physician payment and prior authorization, as well as protecting access to care in Medicaid. Specifically, attendees:

• Urged Congress to provide inflationary updates as well as reforms to budget neutrality requirements that force arbitrary cuts.
  • Ask Congress to take action!

• Urged Congress to protect patient access to Medicaid following passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in 2025.
  • Ask Congress to take action!

Attendees also heard from the Administration and several Members of Congress:

• Chris Klomp, director of the Center for Medicare, deputy administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, chief counselor for the Department of Health and Human Services
• Daniel Brillman, director of the Center for Medicaid & CHIP Services, deputy administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV)
• Rep. John Joyce, MD (R-PA)
• Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, MD (R-IA)
• Rep. Greg Murphy, MD (R-NC)
• Rep. Kim Schrier, MD (D-WA)
• Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-HI)
• Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT)

The ACR looks forward bringing rheumatologists and the patients they treat to Capitol Hill later this year!

2026 QPP Quality Benchmarks Now Available

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have published the 2026 Quality Benchmarks on the Quality Payment Program website. These historical benchmarks serve as the comparison points used to score the quality measures you submit. Your performance on each measure is evaluated against its benchmark to determine how many points it can earn.

Visit the Benchmarks webpage to access the following resources:

• 2026 Quality Benchmarks (CSV, 135KB)
• 2026 Quality Benchmarks User Guide with Scoring Examples (PDF, 1.3MB)
• 2026 Multiple Performance Measure File (XLSX, 135KB)