Be careful when prescribing allopurinol to black and Asian gout patients, a study newly advises. Black and Asian patients who take this ubiquitous, more-than-40-year-old medication are at much higher risk of certain serious skin reactions than are Caucasians or Hispanics. Compared with Caucasians, blacks who take allopurinol to lower blood urate levels have an increased…
Chronic Reactive Arthritis Secondary to Intravesical Bacillus Calmette–Guerin in Bladder Carcinoma
A 50-year-old man with history of superficial bladder carcinoma presented to our rheumatology clinic for a three-year history of symmetric polyarthralgias. He had undergone multiple transurethral resection of bladder tumor procedures and bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG) treatments. Prior to receiving BCG, he was fully functional and employed. Days after receiving his second BCG treatment, he developed…
Total Joint Arthroplasty Outcome Measures Toolkit Helps Rheumatologists’ Post-Surgical Assessments
Amir Atwal* is a 76-year-old man who had a knee arthroplasty six weeks ago: He wonders how he is doing in comparison to other individuals of his age at the same stage of recovery. Will you be able to provide him with an answer? If you are looking for a one-stop shop to help you…
Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient Shares Lessons Learned from Breaking Leg in a Fall
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall Humpty Dumpty had a great fall All the king’s horses and all the king’s men Couldn’t put Humpty together again. —Mother Goose I feel like a female Humpty Dumpty. Recently I took a great fall, and now I am in the process of being put together again. I was…
Long-Term Antibiotic Treatment for Lyme Disease Shows No Benefits
For people in whom symptoms of Lyme disease persist beyond the standard course of two to four weeks of antibiotic therapy, longer term antibiotic treatment provides no additional benefits beyond the shorter term course. This is the conclusion of a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that builds on a number…
Rheumatology Coding Corner Answer: Level 4 New Patient Visit
Take the challenge. Correct Answer: CPT: 99204 ICD-10: I73.00 Coding Rationale This is a new patient, outpatient visit for a self-referred patient. There is no formal consultation request from another physician; therefore, the encounter does not meet criteria for a consultation. This encounter is coded as 99204 because it included: Comprehensive history—Extended history of the…
Rheumatology Coding Corner Question: Level 4 New Patient Visit
A 32-year-old female patient comes in for an initial visit. She is self-referred and complains of pain, numbness and color changes in her fingers when exposed to cold. The patient reports that her right distal index finger, left distal index finger and fourth right finger turn white and blue with pain and numbness when exposed…
Transition to ICD-10 Diagnostic Code Set Successful for Most Rheumatology Practices
It has been 11 months since the implementation of the ICD-10 diagnostic code set on Oct. 1, 2015, a change from the previous ICD-9. Most practices can probably attest that the transition came and went without the predicted doomsday outcome: Claims were still processed, the confused alphanumeric coding was applied, and patients were not deprived…
The ACR’s Advocates for Arthritis 2016 Legislative Fly-In Heads to Capitol Hill
On Sept. 12–13, ACR advocates will be back on Capitol Hill as part of the Advocates for Arthritis legislative fly-in. This annual event brings together rheumatology professionals and patients to advocate on behalf of the rheumatology community. The core issues on which the advocates will focus this year include advocating for dramatic changes to the…
ACR Seeks Advisors for AMA/Specialty Society RUC and CPT Committee
The ACR is searching for practicing physicians interested in coding and reimbursement issues to represent the ACR on the AMA/Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Committee. The RUC and CPT Committee comprise physicians representing the national medical specialty societies who advise the CPT Editorial Panel on matters concerning…
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