The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is attempting to update the reimbursement process for Medicaid, which might relieve administrative burdens on specialists and improve access to services.

Subcategories:EMRsFacilityInsuranceQuality Assurance/ImprovementTechnology
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is attempting to update the reimbursement process for Medicaid, which might relieve administrative burdens on specialists and improve access to services.
E. William St.Clair, MD |
“RISE is a tool designed by rheumatologists, for rheumatologists. I would encourage everyone to give it a try, watch our demo and learn about our results. We now have over 900,000 patient encounters, and the growth of the registry has been amazing. With your participation, it will develop into a powerhouse of knowledge. It’s so…
Leonard H. Calabrese, DO, & Elizabeth Kirchner, MSN, CNP |
It has been nearly 35 years since the original descriptions of what now is recognized as AIDS (the acquired immune deficiency syndrome), an advanced form of infection secondary to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The epidemic of HIV infection remains the singular most dramatic epidemic of our generation and will likely remain with us for…
Praveen Akuthota, MD, Aryeh Fischer, MD, & Michael E. Wechsler, MD |
Clinical Vignette A 45-year-old woman with long-standing asthma and chronic sinusitis has new-onset peripheral neuropathy, arthralgias, fatigue, progressive dyspnea and a nonproductive cough. She has never smoked and has no environmental exposures. Her medications include an albuterol metered-dose inhaler (which she uses daily); an inhaled corticosteroid, montelukast; and ibuprofen (which she takes occasionally). She is…
Erin Arnold, MD, William Arnold, MD, Douglas Conaway, MD, Gary Crump, MD, Edmund LaCour, MD, James Mossell, DO, Glen Parris, MD, Kathleen Thomas, DO, David Sikes, MD, Anne Winkler, MD, PhD, MACP, Timothy Harrington, MD, & James Bower, MPA |
Rheumatologists have growing concerns about how we manage rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the disease outcomes we are achieving.1 Over the past two years, clinician rheumatologists have begun working together to address these problems through the Rheumatoid Arthritis Practice Performance (RAPP) Project, a nationwide clinical quality-improvement initiative. The RAPP Project has now grown to 168 participants…
A 65-year-old established female patient returns to the office for a follow-up visit for her diagnosis of fibromyalgia. She complains of pain, stiffness and swelling in her left hand, elbow and neck that is persistent since her last visit. The pain is considerably worse in the morning. She denies any fevers, cough or dyspnea. The…
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…
At this year’s ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Francisco, you can take advantage of a variety of sessions designed to address pressing concerns in practice management today. Practice managers, clinicians, office staff and others will enjoy and benefit from hands-on practical sessions and informative panel discussions by top content experts in the field. Here are…
Christopher D. Adams, MD |
Editor’s note: This is the first installment of a two-part series showing how a busy office-based practice can incorporate patient advocacy into its standard workflow. Part 1 outlines the reasons for advocacy and the benefits to both patients and doctors, then gives a quick-start outline to get you started. Part 2 will amplify the concepts…
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…