More than two decades ago, Charles King, MD, was completing his final year of residency in internal medicine, fairly confident he was headed for a career in gastroenterology. Then he took a rotation in rheumatology. The rest, as they say, is history. “It’s a complicated field, and it requires a balance of left brained-ness and…
Effective management of healthcare compliance requires an office compliance plan that stays current with changing government regulations, payer requirements, office operations and technology. Many still wonder, why is a compliance program needed—if something isn’t broken, don’t fix it, right? This is not always the case; compliance is an essential part of practice operations, but providing…
GLENDALE, ARIZ.—Arizona is a microcosm of America’s challenges in reconciling the rheumatology workforce to growing patient demand, as quantified in the ACR’s Workforce Study of 2015.1 So it was timely this year for the Phoenix Rheumatology Association to sponsor its 1st Annual Strategic Training for Rheumatology Advanced Practice Clinicians Symposium. (Note: Advanced practice clinicians [APCs]…
Take the challenge. CPT codes: 99203/99243 ICD-10: M25.521, M25.522, M25.561, M25.562 History—Comprehensive: The history of present illness is extended, the review of systems is complete, and the past medical, family and social history are documented. All three of the HPI, ROS and PFSH are needed to achieve the history level as comprehensive. Examination—Detailed: This level…
A 55-year-old female patient with pain in multiple joints is referred to the office by her primary care physician. She complains of pain in both knees and both shoulders. She rates the pain at 7 on the pain scale. Her pain is worse at night after she gets off work. Soaking in her hot tub…
In a first-of-its-kind report card, the ACR shows that many changes are needed for states to improve patient access to affordable and effective rheumatology care…
LOS ANGELES (Reuters)—A new front in the battle over the cost of expensive medicines in the United States is opening up in Oklahoma, the first state where the government’s Medicaid program is negotiating contracts for prescription drugs based on how well they work. In June, Oklahoma received approval from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and…
Take the challenge. Scenario 1 is the correct answer. Although documentation of both scenarios supports a Level 4 visit, only one supports the medical necessity to code an evaluation and management (E/M) visit on the same day with a procedure. Scenario 1 supports the need for a separate E/M visit, because a new problem was…
Scenario 1 History: A 45-year-old male patient with sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis affecting multiple sites, but with no organ or systems involvement, comes for a follow-up visit. The patient reports swelling of the left knee with throbbing left knee pain. He rates the severity of his pain at an 8 on a 10-point scale. The pain…
Medical students and residents are choosing careers in rheumatology, thanks to an annual event hosted by the Rheumatology Research Foundation during the ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting. The Choose Rheumatology Experience, formerly known as the Student and Resident Experience, is a daylong event designed to help future physicians and health professionals navigate the Annual Meeting. Cultivating interest…