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

Getting Past the Noise to Identify SpA

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Objective: Low-grade bone marrow edema (BME) has been reported in the sacroiliac (SI) joints of 25% of healthy individuals and patients with nonspecific mechanical back pain, thus challenging the specificity and predictive value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the identification of early spondyloarthritis (SpA). It is unknown whether stress injury in competition sports may…

5 Ways You Can Get Involved During Arthritis Awareness Month

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The ACR’s 2015 Rheumatology Workforce Study Report projects a shortage of 3,800 rheumatologists in the U.S. by 2040. Given the projected rise in the number of adults with arthritis and the anticipated shortfall in the supply of rheumatologists, it is more important than ever to raise awareness about the benefits of early intervention, timely referral and specialized care by a rheumatologist. The ACR’s Board of Directors and advocacy team will be in Washington, D.C., this month to let legislators know how their decisions affect your practices and patients. You can take action—no matter where you are—to help us spread our advocacy messages throughout the month…

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Have We Reached the Limits of Clinical Classification?

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There is an old adage that there are two types of people—lumpers and splitters. For some, people are easily categorized into liberal vs. conservative, Democrat vs. Republican, Donald Trump supporter vs. Hillary Clinton supporter. For others, everyone is a snowflake, and what makes us different is much more important than what makes us the same….

Rheumatology Coding Corner Answer: RA Follow-Up with Imaging

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Take the challenge. CPT codes: 99214, 71045, 86580 ICD-10: M05.79, R05, R06.2 History—Detailed: The history of present illness (HPI) was extended; the review of systems (ROS) was extended; and the past medical, family and social history (PFSH) were documented. All three components of the HPI, ROS and PFSH are needed to achieve the detailed history…

Rheumatology Coding Corner Question: RA Follow-Up with Imaging

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History A 39-year-old woman returns for follow-up for her rheumatoid arthritis. She has positive rheumatoid factor, but no organ or systemic involvement. She has joint swelling and pain in her left hand, right elbow and right knee. Her pain is at an 8 on a 10-point scale. She states the pain is worse in the…

Medicare Participation—Do Physicians Have Options?

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Physicians have three contractual options when it comes to the Medicare program: participating, non-participating and opting out. Providers should keep the old saying “look before you leap” at the forefront when considering opting in or out of the Medicare program. Since 2001, physician costs have been on the rise, with only mini­mal increases in reimbursements,…

Rheumatology Research Foundation & NIH Program Bears Fruit

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The Rheumatology Research Foundation has been actively involved with the NIH’s Accelerating Medicines Partnership for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (AMP RA/SLE) program, launched in 2014 as a public–private partnership to spur development of new therapeutic options for RA and lupus. Recently, the NIH released new datasets that will help clinical investigators accelerate therapies…

Can Certain DMARDs Treat Dementia?

Larry Beresford  |  

In the complex web of interactions between systemic inflammatory response, rheumatic disease and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), what is the potential for using rheumatologic therapies to treat other medical conditions linked to inflammation? Some medical researchers have looked at cardiac conditions, and others have examined the overlap with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Positive effects…