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

Pfizer Plans to Increase U.S. Drug Prices in January

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters)—Pfizer Inc. said on Friday that it plans to hike U.S. prices on 41 of its medicines in January, after walking back its previous price increases this summer under pressure from President Donald Trump. The company said in a statement that the increases would be on around 10% of its drugs. Pfizer said…

Up to Date with the HIPAA Privacy Rule

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Throughout a patient’s lifetime, providers are entrusted with their most intimate and personal information, which they expect to be kept private and confidential. Unfortunately, the healthcare system can face serious implications if any part of a patient’s privacy or information is breached. Under the Health Information Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA) and state laws healthcare…

Coding Corner Answers: A Drug Administration Quiz

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Take the challenge. C—This claim cannot be coded without querying the infusion nurse and physician. There must be documentation of the patient’s weight to document the correct dosage of the medication to be given to the patient. Also the start time and the completion time of the infusion must be documented to know which drug…

Coding Corner Questions: A Drug Administration Quiz

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A 70–year-old female patient with rheumatoid arthritis affecting multiple joints who is rheumatoid-factor positive but without organ or system failure returns for her third infliximab infusion. She is scheduled to receive 500 mg of the drug. How should this encounter be coded? 96413, 96415, J1745 x 50; ICD 10: M05.79 96413, 96415, J1745 x 50;…

New ACR COIN Project Connects Volunteers to Patients in Greatest Need

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Improving access to rheumatology care for underserved patient populations is a priority for the ACR, and the subject of a major position statement by the Committee on Rheumatologic Care (CORC) in 2017. According to the ACR’s 2015 Workforce Study, the existing shortage of rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals is expected to worsen in the next…

2018 Annual Meeting Attendees Receive Free ACR Beyond Subscription

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All 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting attendees received a complimentary, one-year ACR Beyond Streaming subscription. Recipients have access to all of the recorded sessions from the Annual Meeting, as well as more than 500 sessions from past meetings. In addition, they have the opportunity to view recorded sessions from upcoming 2019 educational meetings, including the Winter…

Rheumatology Research Foundation Launches $75M Fundraising Push

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The Rheumatology Research Foundation has embarked on its third and most ambitious fundraising campaign, with a goal of raising $75 million. The Leading Boldly: Transforming Rheumatology campaign will support Foundation programs to recruit the best and brightest into the field, train rheumatology health professionals at all career stages and support investigators conducting research that will…

Sputum Antibody Response in People at Risk for RA

Catherine Kolonko  |  

Researchers say a study of individual antibody response to citrullinated and non-citrullinated proteins in sputum samples further supports the importance of the lung in early development of rheumatoid arthritis-related autoimmunity. Investigation of the fundamental mechanism that leads to antibody responses in rheumatoid arthritis is key to uncovering ways to predict and prevent the development of…

Pediatric Lupus Outcomes: Researchers Follow Kids into Adulthood

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A study published in the May issue of Arthritis Care & Research may be the first to examine the long-term outcomes of childhood-onset lupus, otherwise known as pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a chronic, multisystem autoimmune disease with a highly variable clinical course. Previous studies examined cross-sectional views of damage accrued. According to the Childhood…

The Burden of Rheumatic Diseases Among Indigenous People in Latin America Is Disproportionate

David C. Holzman  |  

Indigenous communities in Latin America lack good healthcare—and often lack any healthcare—for musculoskeletal and rheumatic diseases.1 Global health initiatives tend to focus on infectious disease, despite the increasing rate of chronic diseases. In a survey of 6,155 individuals from eight indigenous communities, conducted by a team of Latin American investigators, the prevalence of these conditions…