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Osteoarthritis and Bone Disorders

Rheumatology Coding Corner Answer: Coding for a Knee Injection

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Take the challenge. CPT: 20611-LT, J7325 X 1 ICD-9: 715.16—Osteoarthritis, localized, primary, lower leg ICD-10: M17.12—Unilateral pri- mary osteoarthritis, left knee Note: When billing for 20611—Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection, major joint or bursa (e.g., shoulder, hip, knee, subacromial bursa), with permanent recording and reporting, there must be a permanent photograph of the needle placement in…

Rheumatology Coding Corner Question: Coding for a Knee Injection

From the College  |  

Coding for a Knee Injection A 68-year-old female patient with primary osteoarthritis of the left knee returns to the office for her scheduled hyaluronan injection. The patient reports that her knee is a little tender, but on a scale of 1–10, it is a 4. She is stiff in the morning for 10–20 minutes. The…

Bone Loss Common in Suspected Spondyloarthritis

David Douglas  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—More than 40% of patients with early inflammatory back pain suggestive of axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) show bone loss over the course of two years, according to French researchers. SpA is known to be associated with bone loss at the spine and the hip and an increased risk of vertebral fractures. To investigate…

Does Insomnia in Patients with Knee OA Affect Pain?

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

New research explores the correlation between insomnia and pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). After conducting a multimodal sleep study, researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore uncovered a combined effect between catastrophizing and disturbed sleep, resulting in increased pain sensitivity, specifically central sensitization, for knee OA…

Weight-Bearing Exercise Eases Knee Osteoarthritis, Temporarily

Kathryn Doyle  |  

(Reuters Health)—A program of weight-bearing exercise reduces pain and improves joint function, at least for two to six months, for people with osteoarthritis, according to a review of previous trials. “We had a systematic review for Cochrane from 2008 and 2009, but there were much less articles,” said Dr. Martin Van der Esch, who coauthored…

Vitamin D in Rheumatology: Cause and Effect Unclear

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The controversy over vitamin D is hearty enough to confuse even seasoned rheumatologists, says Nathan Wei, MD, The Arthritis Treatment Center, Frederick, Md. “It’s like what you hear with coffee. One week, [a study finds] coffee is … good for you; the next week, there’s a study saying it’s bad for you,” he says. Vitamin…

Risk of Hearing Loss in Patients with Osteoporosis

Catherine Kolonko  |  

People diagnosed with osteoporosis have almost twice the risk of developing hearing loss as those without the bone-fragile skeletal disease, according to results from a large retrospective study in Taiwan. The study looked at the risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) using data collected from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance claims and is believed to…

EULAR 2015: Anti-Inflammatory Drugs with Dual Targets

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Antibody-like molecules that can bind to more than one target—with the goal of having a more powerful effect than if those targets were treated separately in a combination of therapies—could become part of treatment regimens in rheumatic diseases over the next several years, an expert said here in a session at EULAR 2015, the annual…