September 24, 2026

New Recommendations Put Personalized Osteoarthritis Care First

In the new 2026 Osteoarthritis Guideline Summary, the ACR provides updated recommendations for osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, and hand, emphasizing that treatment should be tailored to each person’s symptoms, health needs, lifestyle, and goals.

Updated recommendations continue to strongly support core strategies such as regular exercise, self-management education, weight loss when appropriate, anti-inflammatory medications, and corticosteroid injections for selected patients. These approaches can help reduce pain, improve movement, and support daily function.

The update also adds conditional recommendations for GLP-1 receptor agonist medications for some people with knee osteoarthritis who may benefit from weight management, and for methotrexate in people with erosive hand osteoarthritis. These options should be considered through shared decision-making with a clinician. The central message is clear: osteoarthritis care is most effective when it is comprehensive, practical, and personalized—not one-size-fits-all. Read the press release.

ACR Leads Rheumatology Community Coalition in Asking Congress to Protect Access to Same Day Care

This week, the ACR and partner organizations sent a letter to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee urging these leaders to ensure that CMS’ misguided Modifier -25 policy does not go into effect as proposed. As a reminder, CMS has proposed a 50% reduction in payment for E/M services when they are provided on the same day as a procedure with a 0-, 10-, or 90-day global code.

Over a dozen rheumatology professional and patient groups signed on to this letter, signaling strong opposition to the policy from the rheumatology community. The letter highlights the disproportionate impact that this policy will have on chronically ill patients, especially those in rural areas who may be forced to coordinate additional travel and other logistics for an additional office visit.

You can look at the advocacy letter, and you can take action from home with the ACR’s Legislative Action Center! Contact your lawmakers today in just one click.

Congress: Stop the Faxing, Fix Prior Authorization

With the Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act positioned for a House floor vote, the ACR and other members of our Regulatory Relief Coalition are working to demonstrate how outdated prior authorization requirements are. We need every office hearing from constituents and stakeholders. Please consider reaching out to House offices in one (or more) of these ways: We’re asking you to fax a one-page "Stop the Faxing" flyer to your Representative. If it sounds silly, that’s the point!

To participate, please take the following steps:

1. Identify Your Representative's Fax Number: See a spreadsheet of the fax numbers for all House offices.
2. Fax the Campaign Graphic: Choose one of the "Stop the Faxing" one-pagers and send it directly to your Representative's office.
3. Use the ACR’s Legislative Action Center: Contact your lawmakers in just one click to drive your points home.

Please contact the ACR Advocacy Team at advocacy@rheumatology.org> if you have any questions.

Bipartisan Bill Aims to Preserve Access to Rheumatology Therapies

A bipartisan Medicare bill gaining support in Congress could have important implications for rheumatologists who administer physician-provided therapies in community and independent practice settings. The GOP Doctors Caucus has endorsed H.R. 4299, the Protecting Patient Access to Cancer and Complex Therapies Act, which seeks to protect Medicare beneficiaries’ access to physician-administered Part B medications while preserving savings from Medicare drug-price negotiations.

Why Rheumatologists Are Watching
Under changes scheduled to begin in 2028, Medicare reimbursement for certain Part B drugs selected through the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program could be reduced in a manner that creates a financial gap for providers. The concern is that a rheumatology practice could still face the full cost and operational responsibility of acquiring and administering a therapy, while reimbursement no longer adequately supports those services.

If practices cannot sustainably provide these therapies, patients with rheumatic disease may have to:

• Travel farther to receive infusions or injections.
• Shift care from a familiar community rheumatology practice to a hospital outpatient department.
• Encounter treatment delays if local sites limit the therapies they can offer.
• Receive care in a higher-cost setting, even when their rheumatologist is best positioned to oversee treatment.

These concerns are especially relevant when continuity of care and timely treatment are central to preventing flares, disease progression, functional decline, and avoidable complications.

What H.R. 4299 Would Do
H.R. 4299 would maintain reimbursement for affected physician-administered therapies at average sales price plus 6 percent (ASP + 6%). Rather than placing practices between Medicare and manufacturers during price negotiations, the proposal would have manufacturers rebate the difference between the negotiated price and the reimbursement amount to Medicare.

The GOP Doctors Caucus argues that the legislation could help prevent unintended reimbursement reductions from driving further practice consolidation or shifting patients to more expensive hospital-based sites of care.

Make your voice heard!
Congress needs to hear directly from rheumatology clinicians, staff, and advocates about the importance of protecting reliable access to complex therapies for Medicare patients with rheumatic disease.

Ask your members of Congress to support the Protecting Patient Access to Cancer and Complex Therapies Act.

Hiring a Rheumatologist? Join the FIT Recruiting Roundtable at the 2026 Practice Innovation Summit

Finding the right rheumatologist for your practice can be challenging. At the ACR Practice Innovation Summit, practices looking to recruit will have a dedicated opportunity to connect with rheumatology fellows-in-training (FITs) who are beginning to consider the next step in their careers.

The FIT Recruiting Roundtable will take place November 6, 5:30–6:00 PM in Room 451A (subject to change). It is designed to create an informal, direct connection between fellows and practices with current or anticipated hiring needs.

For practices, the roundtable offers an opportunity to introduce your organization, share what makes your practice and community unique, and begin building relationships with potential future colleagues. Whether you have an immediate opening or expect to recruit in the coming year, participating can help put your practice in front of rheumatologists preparing to enter the workforce.

This is part of the ACR Practice Innovation Summit, bringing together rheumatology professionals to explore practical strategies for strengthening and sustaining rheumatology practices. Registration for the Summit is not required for practices to participate in the roundtable.

Practices interested in participating in the FIT Recruiting Roundtable should contact Joseph Cantrell at jcantrell@rheumatology.org.

Add ACR Advocacy to your ACR Convergence Schedule

As you put together your meeting schedule, explore the full slate of advocacy programming and opportunities from your ACR D.C. Team.

Also, a donation of any amount will grant you access to the RheumPAC Lounge. Join us for snacks and soft drinks throughout the entire meeting — plus, come cheer on your football team on November 7 and 8.

RheumPAC Lounge (Room W305AB)

• November 6: 10:45 AM–12:00 PM
• November 7: 9:00 AM–6:00 PM
• November 8: 9:00 AM–4:00 PM*
• November 9: 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
• November 10: 9:00 AM–4:00 PM

*Closed for Young Advocates Division (YAD) Lunch from 12–1 p.m. The YAD is tailored to residents, fellows in training, and rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals who have been in practice for less than 10 years. Learn more about YAD and sign up.

Updates from the Advocacy Team

• November 8: Building Bridges to Better Care: Advocacy and Legislative Updates in Pediatrics, 2:00–3:00 PM, Room W311A-D
• November 9: Rheumatology on the Hill: The State of Play in Washington, DC 8:00 AM–9:30 AM, Room W315

Networking

• November 8: Practice and Policy Issues Q&A, 1:00 PM–2:00 PM, Room W307A
• November 9: Practice and Policy Issues Q&A, 10:30 AM–11:30 AM, Room W307B

RheumPAC Donor Appreciation Event
November 9: 7:00 PM–9:30 PM at Crush Yard. Join your colleagues for a night of fun and celebrating RheumPAC. Make your contribution today and reserve your spot.