MER Primary Care Conferences Rheumatology & Musculoskeletal Medicine for Primary Care Aug 14-16, 2026

The “Rheumatology & Musculoskeletal Medicine for Primary Care” conference will be held at the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas in Las Vegas, NV, from August 14 to August 16, 2026. Organized by Medical Education Resources (MER), this live continuing medical education activity provides interprofessional education for the healthcare team.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this program, participants should be better able to:

Compare and contrast inflammatory & non-inflammatory joint pain and their differential diagnoses.

Review the risks and benefits of the treatment options for arthritis (non-selective NSAIDs, cox-2 inhibitors, DMARDs, narcotics and tramadol).

Discuss physical examination of joints/soft tissue in the diagnosis of regional pain syndromes.

Identify important landmarks and proper techniques for injecting the major joints.

Describe the differential diagnoses of inflammatory arthritis based on clinical presentation and laboratory workup.

Perform an examination of joints and soft tissues.

Utilize current evidence to design treatment strategies for osteoarthritis.

Diagnose and treat gout and pseudogout.

Identify the risks and benefits of utilizing bisphosphonates in the treatment of osteoporosis.

Describe the technique of joint aspiration, joint injection, and synovial fluid analysis.

Compare the benefits and side effect profiles of pharmacologic treatment options for fibromyalgia.

Evaluate and treat spinal pain based on a sound differential diagnosis.

Target Audience
This program is targeted to office-based primary care providers and other health professionals with updates in primary care medicine.
Best for Primary Care Physicians, Rheumatologists, Sports Medicine Physicians, and Orthopedic Specialists.
Topics
Friday, August 14, 2026

Evaluating the Patient with Joint Pain: Differentiating between inflammatory and non-inflammatory joint pain; The utility of joint aspiration and lab work-up with interpretation of synovial fluid analysis; Differential diagnosis of joint pain and inflammatory arthritis.

Update in Pharmacology for Arthritis: Review risks and benefits of traditional NSAIDs and cox-2 inhibitors; Analgesics (narcotics and tramadol), acetaminophen, conventional-synthetic DMARDs, and bDMARDs.

Differential Diagnosis of Inflammatory Arthritis: Clinical presentation and laboratory work-up and treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, spondyloarthropathies (SPA), infectious arthritis and systemic sclerosis; Treatment of RA with DMARDs; Treatment principles of SLE, Sjogren’s, SPA and PMR.

Physical Examination of Joints and Soft Tissue & Diagnosis of Regional Pain Syndromes: Includes: carpal tunnel syndrome; DeQuervain’s tenosynovitis; epicondylitis; impingement; hip, knee, ankle and foot overuse syndromes.

Joint & Soft Tissue Examination Workshop: Small-group workshops.

Saturday, August 15, 2026

Osteoarthritis: Pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment.

Crystal Disease: Gout & Pseudogout: Properly diagnosing and treating crystal diseases such as gout and pseudogout.

Osteoporosis: Review the epidemiology and pathophysiology of osteoporosis along with interpretation of DEXA scans and FRAX risk assessment; up-to-date therapeutic options.

Panel Discussion/Joint Injection Technique: Interactive panel discussion with all faculty covering all aspects of rheumatology. Instruction on proper joint injection technique of major joints including shoulder, elbow, fingers, hip, knee, and ankle.

Joint Aspiration & Injection Technique Workshop: Small-group workshops.

Sunday, August 16, 2026

Fibromyalgia: Differential diagnosis and treatment of this difficult-to-manage pain syndrome; Treatment options of anti-epileptics and SNRI’s.

Spinal Pain: Differential diagnosis of lower back pain, epidemiology and treatment; OA, DISH, and ankylosing spondylitis (AS).