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

Telehealth Extends Rheumatologists’ Reach

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In many regions, rheumatologists are scarce. But telemedicine offers rheumatologists the ability to treat patients who have difficulty accessing care. A panel at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting addressed the exciting prospects offered and ways to overcome its challenges…

What Makes an Effective Department Head?

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If you’re aspiring to lead a rheumatology department, you will need more than what you learned in medical school. Beyond expertly treating patients and participating in research, these leaders must also understand management, mentorship and problem solving, as well as the business of running a successful department…

Knee Surgery Outcomes Linked with Education Level

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—Patients who live in low-income communities and lack a college education may have worse pain after knee replacement surgery than their more educated neighbors, a recent study suggests. Two years after total knee replacement surgeries, patients in poor communities who hadn’t gone to college had average pain scores that were about 10 points worse…

Virtual Groups: Another Option for Reporting MIPS Participation through RISE

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RISE now has three means of reporting through the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): individual, group and the recently added virtual groups. According to the CMS, virtual groups allow individual MIPS-eligible clinicians or groups consisting of not more than 10 MIPS-eligible clinicians to join together and report as if they were a single entity. The…

The Rheumatology Clinical Registry Is Now Open for Reporting

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The Rheumatology Clinical Registry (RCR) is open for reporting. As we are approaching the end of the 2017 MIPS performance year, however, keep in mind that to report via the RCR, your last date to enter patient information will be Jan. 15, 2018. You can access the RCR’s updated dashboard here. Remember to use your…

The ACR Lobbies Against New Part B Drug Cost Adjustment Rule

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The ACR and a number of other physician medical associations are lobbying for an immediate legislative fix to a piece of the MACRA law that factors high-cost Part B drugs into a rheumatology practice’s Medicare reimbursement rate through the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). This change, which goes into effect immediately, will impact practices in…

RISE: What’s New for You in 2018?

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Medicare’s Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) has been on a gradual incline toward requiring full participation by eligible providers. During its transition stage, reporting for the first year (2017) allowed providers the option to report as partial, full, minimum or not at all, with varying degrees of penalties and incentives across all three reporting components:…