Today, we discuss a new guidance statement from the American College of Rheumatology aimed at bringing much-needed structure to the evaluation and management of patients with VEXAS. This episode breaks down key recommendations, including who should be tested, the best approaches to diagnostic evaluation, how to interpret bone marrow findings, and emerging strategies for treatment—offering clarity in a diagnosis that, until recently, was marked by uncertainty.

Private rheumatology practice is contracting under multi-directional pressure: shrinking margins, escalating prior authorizations, tightening Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) and payer restrictions on drug access, and instability across core revenue streams. At the same time, demand is rising, wait times are surging, and workforce shortages are intensifying—driving clinician burnout and retention challenges.

This episode is about The American College of Rheumatology's response, in expanding its leadership role in advocacy, health policy reform, and workforce development to help private practices move from survival to sustainable growth.

Pericardial Disease is couched between two medical disciplines: Cardiology and Rheumatology, and those with these conditions visit medical professionals viewing their treatment through one lens or the other. This episode addresses the shifting reality that pericarditis and myocarditis are no longer separate silos but rather takes the broader view of inflammatory heart disease. We'll examine how rheumatologists should be thinking about pericardial disease, when we should get involved, how diagnosis and imaging fit in, plus the evolution of treatment.