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

From the College

Advocacy: An essential component of professional practice

Karen L. Kerr, MSN, NP, CPNP, APRN-BC  |  

In our challenging and cost-conscious healthcare environment, advocacy is an essential skill for all health professionals. As rheumatology health professionals, we advocate for our patients with insurers, institutional administrators, employers, and teachers. To bring about needed healthcare reforms, we must also learn to be effective political advocates.

Be Aware of New Waived Tests

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Keeping current on changes to laboratory certifications for common lab tests can save your practice time—and money. Since the passage of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) in 1988, all health-assessment laboratory tests are ranked for complexity, and their complexity dictates which labs can process Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)–reimbursed tests. In accordance with CLIA, each laboratory facility must register with CMS to receive a CLIA certification. There are five certifications, each with differing degrees of complexity, listed from least to most complex: Certificate of Waiver, Certificate of Provider-Performed Microscopy Procedures, Certificate of Registration, Certificate of Compliance, and the Certificate of Accreditation.

ACR Unites with AMA to Correct SGR

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Fair Medicare reimbursement is of great concern of physicians today. During the past few years, the SGR has called for damaging cuts to physician payments. Each year, however, Congress has placed a temporary fix on the scheduled cuts.

ACR Board Lobbies Congress

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ACR Board of Directors members recently spent time in Washington, D.C., discussing rheumatology-related issues with members of Congress, including Sen. Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy (D-Mass.). The senior senator from Massachusetts is the chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which oversees health legislation that affects rheumatologists.

Rheumatology Audioconference Series Recordings

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If you missed the 2007 ARHP audioconference series the first time around, here’s your opportunity to catch up. Recordings of the six 2007 audioconferences are available for purchase individually or as a set.

Free Lupus CD

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The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases is offering a free CD entitled “Lupus and Other Related Information for You and Your Patients.” The CD contains Lupus: A Patient Guide for Nurses and Other Health Professionals, 3rd Edition.

Changes and Choices for Clinicians

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Clinician members will have more than enough sessions to keep them busy at the ACR Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston this November. The Annual Meeting Planning Committee (AMPC) continues to use attendee feedback and member input to create a meeting that offers vital content to every attendee.