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

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Coding Corner Answer: How to Bill a Rituximab Infusion Visit?

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Take the challenge. CPT Codes: 96413, 96415 x 3, J9312 x 5, 96375, J2920 Diagnoses: M05.79 Coding Rationale As of Jan. 1, 2019, the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code for rituximab was changed from J9310 rituximab 100 mg, to the new HCPCS code J9312 (injection, rituximab, 100 mg). According to a Verywell Health…

Myocardial Inflammation Associated with RA Disease Activity

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Introduction: Heart failure, a key contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality, is associated with fewer symptoms and higher (preserved) ejection fraction, but higher mortality rates, in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients than among those in the general population. In the general population, higher levels of circulating proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)…

Destructive Arthritis: From Prevention to Progression to Remission

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CHICAGO—Josef S. Smolen, MD, professor of internal medicine and chair of the Department of Rheumatology, Vienna General Hospital, Austria, presented the prestigious Paul Klemperer, MD, Memorial Lecture at the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting. Dr. Smolen, whose work is frequently cited, created the treat-to-target strategy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Dr. Smolen began by noting a simple…

Links Between Gut Bacteria and Rheumatoid Arthritis

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CHICAGO—At the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, Allen C. Steere, MD, delivered the Rheumatology Research Foundation Memorial Lecture honoring the late Charles M. Plotz, MD: Linking Gut Microbial Immunity with Autoimmunity in Joints in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Dr. Steere is professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston, and director of translational research in rheumatology…

Research Suggests Th17 Cells Have Microbiota-Dependent Role in RA

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A growing body of research is elucidating the role of intestinal microbiota in several auto­immune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Research published in December 2018 Arthritis & Rheumatology increases our understanding of the “extent and nature of mucosal immune activation during preclinical arthritis.”1 The research objective, according to the report, was to “dissect intestinal mucosal immune…

The History & Future of Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibodies (ACPAs)

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Anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) are now viewed as critical diagnostic and prognostic markers for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Research into the pathophysiology of these autoantibodies has proven to be a ripe area of investigation, opening up many promising avenues for better understanding the etiology and pathogenesis of RA. Ultimately, work utilizing these autoantibodies may also allow…

Coding Corner Question: Use Level 3 or 4 for RA/Gout Patient?

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A 60-year-old man returns for a follow-up related to his diagnoses of rheumatoid arthritis and chronic gout of his right ankle and foot, without tophi. He reports the gout flares have subsided in his ankle. He takes 450 mg of allopurinol daily. He has rheumatoid factor-positive rheumatoid arthritis, which previously affected multiple sites, without organ…

Coding Corner Answer: Use Level 3 or 4 for RA/Gout Patient?

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Take the challenge. CPT: 20611-LT, J7325-EJ ICD-10: M17.12, E66.01, Z68.41 CPT: 99213 ICD-10: M1a.0710, M05.79 History—The history of present illness was extended. The review of systems was extended, and two past family social history elements were documented. This makes the history level detailed. Examination—Five systems were examined. This makes the exam level detailed. Medical decision…