ATLANTA—In the late 1990s, at the Annual Meeting, a colleague asked Marian Hannan, DSc, MSc, who is now professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, if she wanted to go to a tourist attraction and talk about professional pursuits during a break at the conference. The colleague ranked higher than she did, and she didn’t…
ATLANTA—As many rheumatologists will recall, it was not too long ago that psoriatic arthritis was regarded somewhat like “rheumatoid arthritis with a rash,” with little attention paid to the ways in which the unique pathophysiology and manifestations of this entity make it distinct from other forms of inflammatory arthritis. At the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting…
ATLANTA—The authors of the new draft ACR treatment guideline for the management of gout presented the draft guideline on Nov. 13 at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting. Based on evidence from more than 130 published studies, there are 42 recommendations, of which 16 were strong, including 27 for urate-lowering therapy (ULT) management, 13 of which…
ATLANTA—Encouraging data on interleukin (IL) 23/IL-17 pathway drugs in psoriatic arthritis (PsA), JAK inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment and new evidence on physical activity and bone health in women were among the highlights of the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting’s Clinical Year in Review. Susan Manzi, MD, MPH, director of the Lupus Center for Excellence…
The FDA has limited the package size of some over-the-counter loperamide products to prevent its potential misuse and abuse…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Changes in atmospheric and environmental factors may contribute to organ-specific disease exacerbation in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), according to a new study. The study found “strong associations between atmospheric variables and fine particulate matter concentration over the 10 days prior to a patient visit and organ-specific lupus flares at the…
New research finds patients previously treated with antibiotics, antifungals and antivirals may be more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than patients who have not received these treatments…
Patients with meniscal tear experience similar levels of reduced pain and improved physical function when treated with either arthroscopic partial meniscectomy or physical therapy, according to a recent study. The study also found these improvements were long term—lasting through the five-year follow up…
Take the challenge. 1. A—Internet-only manuals Before appealing the request for an overpayment or appealing a denial, providers and staff should first verify the claim was coded and billed correctly. Second, staff should review the internet-only manuals website, which includes operating instructions, policies and procedures that cover CMS policies based on statutes, regulations, guidelines, models…
A practice receives an overpayment request from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for not meeting medical necessity related to a biologic infusion. In which instructional guideline can the coding and billing staff find the necessary information on the CMS website to handle this request? Internet-only manuals National Correct Coding Initiative Medically Unlikely…