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An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Coding Corner Answer: Is This Shoulder Ultrasound Billable?

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Take the challenge. Answer: No, if billed as incident-to for the NP. Note: The patient’s current insurance carrier is Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBS of MA). Under BCBS of MA, nurse practitioners and nurse practitioner primary care providers are not allowed to perform or interpret radiology services. Therefore, the physician would have to…

Coding Corner Question: Is This Shoulder Ultrasound Billable?

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A 32-year-old male patient with rheumatoid arthritis affecting multiple joints without rheumatoid factor returns to the office for a follow-up visit with the nurse practitioner (NP). The patient states his overall pain has improved since his previous visit, although he rates the severity of his right shoulder and right wrist pain at a 5 on…

Best Practices for Onboarding New Physicians

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A lot of effort goes into recruiting the best provider into a practice, but missteps during the onboarding process have the potential to leave the provider feeling unsatisfied and the practice dealing with turnover. Although it is one more task to add to an already full plate of things to do at a practice, comprehensive…

RheumPAC Advocates for Dept. of Defense Arthritis Research Funding

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RheumPAC is the ACR’s non-partisan political action committee, which promotes the needs of rheumatology providers and patients. Advocacy efforts often focus on legislation to improve the day-to-day clinical care of rheumatology patients, such as establishing clinical exceptions to step therapy requirements and reforming the prior authorization process. In addition, the ACR and RheumPAC recognize the…

Rheumatology Research Foundation Hosts Annual Investigators Meeting

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The Rheumatology Research Foundation hosted the 13th annual Investigators Meeting in Washington, D.C., June 22‒23. The meeting provides Foundation-funded researchers with an opportunity to share updates on their studies, network, exchange ideas and collaborate on future projects to advance treatments and cures for rheumatic diseases. More than 50 rheumatology professionals were in attendance, with presentations…

Summer 2019’s Awards, Appointments & Announcements in Rheumatology

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Betty Diamond, MD, Recognized as Distinguished Fellow by American Association of Immunologists At its annual meeting in May in San Diego, the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) recognized Betty Diamond, MD, as a distinguished fellow. Dr. Diamond is professor and head of the Center for Autoimmune, Musculoskeletal and Hematopoietic Diseases at the Feinstein Institutes for…

Dr. Jim O’Dell: Rheumatologist, & Master Artisan

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As a young child, Jim O’Dell, MD, spent hours with his grandfather in his basement, making bird houses and bird feeders. “My grandfather, who was a woodworker, was one of the most influential people in my life,” Dr. O’Dell says. “He probably cringed at the crude things I made, but he certainly never let me…

Study Says Sjögren’s Patients Have a High Specificity for a Novel Antibody

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An antibody previously un-recognized in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome may shed new light on the patho­physiology of one of the most troubling and disabling symptoms in many of these patients. Investigators at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, found the anti-calponin 3 antibody had a high specificity for Sjögren’s syndrome, particularly among patients with neuropathies.1 “There is…

Probing the Role of Genes & Microbiome in Ankylosing Spondylitis & RA

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Researchers know human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules affect susceptibility to disease in general, and immunological disease in particular. In the case of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), the risk is primarily associated with HLA-B27, with smaller effects from other HLA alleles. Current thinking is that AS is caused by the presence of a genetically primed host because…