Rheumatology Detour

 During my last week I was invited to spend some time with the rheumatology department for a couple days.  I was able to see many rare diseases and learn about important physical exam findings.  I also had the opportunity to observe a collaborative meeting where the radiology and rheumatology departments reviewed x-rays together in order to diagnose patients.  Rheumatologists commonly use expensive drugs known as biologics to treat disease.  It was interesting to see that they did not seem to have any issues with prescribing these drugs to patients.  In contrast, I have seen authorization from insurance companies act as a barrier to prescribing these drugs in the USA.

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