WASHINGTON (Reuters)—A bipartisan deal from two U.S. senators to stabilize Obamacare by restoring subsidies to health insurers ran into trouble on Wednesday with the White House saying President Donald Trump now opposes it and a senior Senate Republican saying it has stalled. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan also signaled opposition to the deal announced…
Health Insurer Anthem Takes Pharmacy Business in House, Taps CVS to Help
(Reuters)—Health insurer Anthem Inc will start managing its billions of dollars of patient prescriptions itself in 2020, it said on Wednesday, ending a deal with Express Scripts Holding that had deteriorated into lawsuits over terms. Anthem, which sued the pharmacy benefit manager last year over claims of being overcharged by $3 billion annually, said it…
U.S. Senate Backers of Obamacare Deal Seek Support but Prospects Unclear
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Proponents of a bipartisan deal struck by two U.S. senators to stabilize Obamacare sought on Wednesday to win Republican support for the measure, which would restore subsidies to health insurers that President Donald Trump has scrapped. With 2018 health insurance markets facing potential chaos, Republican Senator Lamar Alexander and Democratic Senator Patty Murray were…

Rheumatologists Find Nailfold Capillaroscopy an Increasingly Useful Diagnostic Tool
Interest in viewing the nail capillaries dates to the late 17th century. Later research by Maurice Raynaud and others in the late 19th and early 20th century first established a direct link between the nailfold capillaries and certain medical conditions. Although underutilized in the past, with the advent of modern digital equipment and the validation…

Rheumatologist’s Passion for Gardening Keeps Plants, Patients Healthy
Deborah Dyett Desir, MD, vividly remembers her first day as an undergraduate student at Harvard University, Boston. When her parents helped her move into the dorm, her mother, Betty, handed her a beautiful begonia. “My response was, ‘What on earth am I going to do with this plant?’” she says, recalling how she examined the…
U.S. Judge in Texas Invalidates Allergan Patents on Restasis
(Reuters)—A U.S. judge invalidated patents on Allergan Plc’.s dry eye medicine Restasis on the grounds that the patents cover obvious ideas, a decision that drove the pharmaceutical company’s shares down more than 6%. Judge William Bryson issued the ruling in federal court in Marshall, Texas, in a longstanding dispute between Allergan and generic drugmakers led…
U.S. Senators Reach Bipartisan Deal on Obamacare Backed by Trump
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—On Tuesday, two U.S. senators announced a bipartisan breakthrough to shore up Obamacare for two years by reviving federal subsidies for health insurers that President Donald Trump planned to scrap, and the president voiced support for the plan. The agreement worked out by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) would meet…
Rheumatology Coding Corner Answer: Prolonged Service without Direct Patient Contact, Part 2
Take the challenge. CPT codes 99358—prolonged evaluation and management (E/M) service before and/or after patient care; first hour 99359—each additional 30 minutes (list separately in addition to codes for prolonged service) Coding Rationale No—This scenario would not support the medical necessity to bill the prolonged service code(s). Keep in mind, the time that the supporting…
Rheumatology Coding Corner Question: Prolonged Service without Direct Patient Contact, Part 2
An established, 66-year-old male patient is seen in the office for a follow-up visit for his fibromyalgia. The physician makes the decision to prescribe venlafaxine for anxiety and depression, and gabapentin for nerve pain. After the visit, the physician informs his medical assistant (MA) to contact the patient’s insurance carrier because venlafaxine requires a prior…

The ARHP Helps Rheumatology Professionals Avoid Information Overload
In a world where some information is good, more information is better and information overload is a way of life, Carole Dodge, BS, OTR, CHT—a practicing occupational therapist at the University of Michigan—considers the ARHP her professional block and tackle. “ARHP helps me sift through a lot of information and get it to a digestible…
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