Through a partnership with Rheumatology News, CSRO publishes a bi-monthly advocacy column authored by Vice President of Advocacy & Government Affairs, Madelaine Feldman, MD.
Titled Rheum for Action, the column inspires individuals to make ‘rheum’ in their lives for action and keeps the rheumatology community updated on the latest advocacy issues affecting their work. Review all of the latest editions of the columns below.
posted: January 24, 2025 to CSRO News
posted: November 18, 2024 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman discusses the 340B Drug Pricing Program.
posted: September 17, 2024 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman discusses reforms that would improve patient's access to available and affordable medications.
posted: July 29, 2024 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman discusses healthcare affordability and the need for policies to prioritize the health and well-being of patients.
posted: May 16, 2024 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman discusses the financial challenges posed by certain biosimilars for which acquisition costs exceed reimbursement levels.
posted: March 15, 2024 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman discusses the recent ERISA health plan lawsuits and why the rheumatology community should be taking note.
posted: January 17, 2024 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman discusses the "musical chairs" game that is formulary construction, even after the FTC frowned upon manufacturers owning PBMs and allowing them to construct their own formularies.
posted: November 17, 2023 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman explains that some provisions included in prescription drug affordability boards may allow them to set upper payment limits for medications, and those have the potential to harm access to provider-administered drugs.
posted: September 20, 2023 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman explains the ethical concerns of AI and health care.
posted: July 6, 2023 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman explains the potential negative ramifications recent MedPAC recommendations may have for rheumatologists.
posted: May 2, 2023 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman explains the issues with specialty pharmacy mandates, commonly referred to as "white bagging".
posted: March 16, 2023 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman reflects on CSRO's Fellows Conference and the important information shared with rheumatology fellows about pharmacy benefit managers.
posted: January 18, 2023 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman describes the unintended consequences of what were thought to be good ideas at the time: Giving safe harbor from the Anti-Kickback Statute and the 340B Drug Pricing Program.
posted: November 14, 2022 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman reflects on the successes and frustrations with health policy legislation and regulation and insurance companies in 2022, and shares how this can be used as a catalyst for the year ahead.
posted: September 20, 2022 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman shares that CSRO is developing a employer tool kit that educates employers with self-funded health plans about the pitfalls and misinformation that may be given to them by the insurance companies, PBMs, and other third parties that administer their health plan.
posted: July 21, 2022 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman explains the advocacy work that the Coalition of State Rheumatology Organizations and other groups are undertaking to address local Medicare policies.
posted: May 23, 2022 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman discusses how “gold card” legislation already passed or in the works in several states has potential to reduce prior authorization burdens on clinicians, but there are still some concerns.
posted: March 16, 2022 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman highlights how the Consolidated Appropriation Act of 2020-21 will not only help to eliminate much of the “transparency gap” in the system, but it may encourage employers to work directly with independent physicians’ offices to provide more cost effective and transparent services for their patients.
posted: November 12, 2021 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman highlights rheumatologists’ frustrations over having the doctor-patient shared decision-making taken out of their hands and given to the insurance companies and their PBMs.
posted: November 12, 2021 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman highlights that in the year ahead, we should prepare to advocate to legislators for policies that prohibit payers from mandating the use of white bagging, brown bagging, and home infusion.
posted: September 20, 2021 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Mattie Feldman calls on rheumatologists to take third-party administrators to task for convincing businesses to let them “carve out” specialty drug benefits from the larger administrator of the plan by promising huge savings in the employer’s specialty drug spending.
posted: July 16, 2021 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. In this piece, Dr. Madelaine (Mattie) Feldman recounts recent advocacy wins across states in fighting copay accumulators, step therapy, and pharmacy benefit managers.
posted: May 12, 2021 to CSRO News
Rheumatology News and the CSRO have partnered to keep rheumatologists regularly informed on the advocacy issues of the day. This inaugural piece tells how CSRO President Dr. Madelaine (Mattie) A. Feldman views advocacy and how she found her way to action.
