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

Overscreening, Overtreatment of Osteoporosis Common

Anne Harding  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Too many women who aren’t at risk for osteoporosis are being screened for the disease, and too many women who don’t need osteoporosis treatment are getting it, new research suggests. “In our health system the overtreatment of osteoporosis was common, and this was partly due to the fact that a lot of…

New York Orders UnitedHealth to Pay $100,000 to Settle Antitrust Probe

Sarah N. Lynch  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The New York Attorney General has ordered UnitedHealth Group to pay a $100,000 fine after an investigation found the insurance provider engaged in anti-competitive practices involving elder and long-term care products, according to a person familiar with the matter. The settlement, which was signed late Wednesday, centers on efforts by UnitedHealth to force nursing…

Patients Leaving Hospitals Often Don’t Understand Care Plans

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—Many patients leaving the hospital don’t understand follow-up care plans because the instructions are tailored to people with higher reading levels and more education, a recent U.S. study suggests. The American Medical Association already recommends that written health information be targeted to a sixth grade audience because nearly half of the U.S. population is…

Living with RA: Study Examines the Value of Patient Involvement in Creating Clinical Practice Guidelines

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

“The lived experience with RA is itself a valuable form of expertise,” writes Dr. Liana Fraenkel, MD, MPH, and her colleagues in their latest research. To examine the value of this expertise and how it can be incorporated into clinical practice guidelines, researchers developed 18 questions for which two panels—one physician dominated and one comprising entirely patients—would develop recommendations. For a majority of these questions, the patient panel made the same recommendations as the physician panel, with similar recommendation strengths…

The RUC’s Work & Where You Fit In

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To ensure adequate and appropriate reimbursement, rheumatologists must provide detailed information about their services to the people advocating on their behalf. With the proper information, advocates can then do the work necessary to secure the appropriate values for these services. These advocates are members of the Relative Value Update Committee (RUC), a volunteer committee of…