A 2019 report says rheumatologists are the happiest medical specialists outside of work. Simon Helfgott, MD, says this finding shows “we have been able to blend an interesting, intellectually stimulating profession and practice with the ability to help people.”..
The FDA has issued a boxed warning for febuxostat after a safety study found an increased risk of heart-related and other death in RA patients…
Research examining the metabolic profile of SLE found increased oxidative activity, as well as lower levels of tyrosine and tryptophan, in SLE patients relative to controls, suggesting increased activity of aromatic amino acid decarboxylase. The results suggest metabolomics may have the ability to measure disease severity in SLE…
A 60-year-old man returns for a follow-up related to his diagnoses of rheumatoid arthritis and chronic gout of his right ankle and foot, without tophi. He reports the gout flares have subsided in his ankle. He takes 450 mg of allopurinol daily. He has rheumatoid factor-positive rheumatoid arthritis, which previously affected multiple sites, without organ…
Take the challenge. CPT: 20611-LT, J7325-EJ ICD-10: M17.12, E66.01, Z68.41 CPT: 99213 ICD-10: M1a.0710, M05.79 History—The history of present illness was extended. The review of systems was extended, and two past family social history elements were documented. This makes the history level detailed. Examination—Five systems were examined. This makes the exam level detailed. Medical decision…
Don’t forget: The submission window for the Quality Payment Program Performance Year 2018 closes on Tuesday, April 2, 2019. Submissions must be complete by 8:00 PM EDT. We encourage all MIPS-eligible clinicians to double-check their status and final scores with the CMS by logging into their EIDM account. Not sure how to review your final score?…
According to the FDA, an ongoing safety trial found higher dose tofacitinib increased the risks of pulmonary embolism and death in RA patients…
(Reuters Health)—Adults who quit smoking decades ago may have a lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) than people who gave up cigarettes more recently, a U.S. study suggests. Smoking has long been linked to an increased risk of RA, and quitting can reduce this risk. But the new study offers fresh evidence that years of…
(Reuters Health)—A new study shows how fake news—specifically, information about scientific research that may be tainted by fraud—keeps getting spread through the medical literature, misleading doctors about the safety and effectiveness of the drugs they prescribe. At issue is the failure of medical journals to flag research that’s been identified by the U.S. Food and…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Many U.S. clinicians aren’t following risk-mitigation practices for opioid prescribing, new findings show. “In response to this national opioid crisis, consensus-based safer opioid prescribing guidelines have been published and state laws regulating opioid prescribing practices have been enacted,” Daniel P. Alford, MD, of Boston University School of Medicine, and colleagues write in…