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Pain Syndromes

Rheumatology Coding Corner Answer: Trigger Point Injections for Fibromyalgia

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Take the challenge. CPT codes: 99213-25, 20553, 73120/LT Diagnosis: ICD-9 7291 ICD-10 M79.7 Coding for trigger-point injections continues to create a lot of confusion on proper coding guidelines. Keep in mind, two CPT4 codes can be used for trigger-point procedures: 20552—Injection(s); single or multiple trigger point(s), one or two muscle(s); and 20553—Single or multiple trigger…

Disease Management Programs Help Patients Cope with Chronic Diseases

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For patients living with a chronic disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis, learning to manage and cope with the myriad adverse symptoms that accompany these diseases is key to improving quality of life and helping reduce the cost burden of these illnesses on the healthcare system. One important way rheumatologists can help is by…

Restoration of Sleep Physiology vs. Sedation for Sleep Disorders, Fibromyalgia

Bruce Rothschild, MD  |  

Sleep disturbance is an important medical problem, requiring intervention, not simply to reduce latency to its onset, but to ensure achievement of the depth of sleep that has been documented to restore homeostasis and prevent the falls that are responsible for so much morbidity and mortality.1 Sleep disturbance is present in 50% of people over…

Lyme Disease Not Predictor of Long-Term Physical, Mental Health Issues

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Lyme disease is often considered a cause of chronic fatigue, pain and other incapacitating symptoms. This assumption stems from analyses of patients who seek retreatment for Lyme disease. However, a new study suggests that Lyme disease is not life altering in the long term for most patients. Specifically, patients with culture-confirmed Lyme disease have similar…

Progress Made in Search for a Fibromyalgia Biomarker

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Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA) all exhibit multifaceted manifestations, and many patients exhibit overlapping comorbidities. However, patients with FMS are distinct from others in that they experience widespread pain, fatigue and mood changes, including anxiety and depression. Although its hallmark symptom of pain causes rheumatologists to consider FMS a pain disorder,…

Systemic Sjögrens: More Than a Sicca Disease

Pilar Brito-Zerón, MD, PhD, and Manuel Ramos-Casals, MD, PhD, on behalf of the EULAR-SS Task Force Group  |  

Differences in its epidemiologic, clinical and immunologic features underscore need for a homogeneous diagnostic and therapeutic approach