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

Oklahoma Medicaid Tests New Tactic to Curb U.S. Drug Costs

Deena Beasley  |  

LOS ANGELES (Reuters)—A new front in the battle over the cost of expensive medicines in the United States is opening up in Oklahoma, the first state where the government’s Medicaid program is negotiating contracts for prescription drugs based on how well they work. In June, Oklahoma received approval from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and…

New Research Provides Insight into Neurosarcoidosis

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New research into neurosarcoidosis suggests certain clinical and imaging features are indicative of a more aggressive neurological disease. The study provides insight into the clinical features of neurosarcoidosis, as well as the relationship between neurological involvement and systemic disease…

Art Tours May Have Analgesic Effect for Chronic Pain Patients

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—Art museums may have an analgesic effect on chronic pain, a small study suggests. Chronic pain sufferers who took guided tours of art museums felt less discomfort and unpleasantness related to their pain shortly afterward, researchers found. The researchers invited 54 visitors to the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, Calif., who reported experiencing chronic…

Adalimumab May Help Maintain Remission in Non-Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis

Lorraine L. Janeczko  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—In patients with active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) who achieved remission while taking adalimumab, researchers saw fewer flares among those who continued taking the drug than among those who stopped taking it. “The results showed that continued therapy with adalimumab was associated with a higher rate of maintenance of remission compared with…

Coding Corner Answer: To Bill or Not to Bill an Eval & Management Visit?

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Take the challenge. Scenario 1 is the correct answer. Although documentation of both scenarios supports a Level 4 visit, only one supports the medical necessity to code an evaluation and management (E/M) visit on the same day with a procedure. Scenario 1 supports the need for a separate E/M visit, because a new problem was…

Coding Corner Question: To Bill or Not to Bill an Eval & Management Visit?

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Scenario 1 History: A 45-year-old male patient with sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis affecting multiple sites, but with no organ or systems involvement, comes for a follow-up visit. The patient reports swelling of the left knee with throbbing left knee pain. He rates the severity of his pain at an 8 on a 10-point scale. The pain…

The ACR Helps Diversify Lupus Research

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While African Americans and Hispanics—especially women in these ethnic groups—are disproportionately affected by lupus, they are under-represented in clinical trials in lupus and other chronic diseases.1,2 With the help of a new federal grant, the ACR took the first step to address this lack of diversity in lupus trials this year. The ACR’s Collaboration Initiatives…

Submit Your Late-Breaking, High-Impact Rheumatology Studies Now

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It’s time to submit your most outstanding emerging studies. The late-breaking abstract category allows for the submission of truly late-breaking, high-impact scientific research for which no preliminary data were available at the time of the June 5 general abstract submission deadline. Late-breaking abstracts should present data that are high impact, groundbreaking, innovative and newsworthy. Late-breaking…

The Choose Rheumatology Experience Addresses Workforce Shortage

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Medical students and residents are choosing careers in rheuma­tology, thanks to an annual event hosted by the Rheumatology Research Foundation during the ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting. The Choose Rheumatology Experience, formerly known as the Student and Resident Experience, is a daylong event designed to help future physicians and health professionals navigate the Annual Meeting. Cultivating interest…