Many, if not all, rheumatologists seek to grow as clinicians so they can provide consistently exceptional care to patients and serve as role models for colleagues and trainees. In our Lessons from Master Clinicians series for The Rheumatologist, we present insights from clinicians who have achieved distinction in the field of rheumatology and who are…
(Reuters Health)—Over a typical 24-hour shift, first year residents training in internal medicine spend just three hours on direct patient care and only 1.8 hours on education, a U.S. study suggests. Most of their time—an average of 15.9 hours out of every 24-hour shift—is consumed instead by “indirect patient care,” primarily involving interactions with medical…
My nephew is an addict. These words do not come easily to me, but I have come to accept them as true. In retrospect, I should have recognized the telltale signs: He stopped picking up the phone when I call. He disappears and then re-emerges hours later, seemingly having done nothing. He has lost interest…
At the close of my first year in fellowship, a co-fellow opened a packed cabinet behind her desk, and untold volumes of methodically annotated medical articles burst forth. Impressed not only by her diligence but also by the sheer volume of paper, I made a mental note to read more and to read more efficiently….
The ACR recognizes that data are more important now than ever. As we enter what has been called the Fourth Industrial Revolution—a period of digitalization in which technology is embedded everywhere in our everyday lives—we are not just hearing constantly about the importance of data and its capabilities, we are experiencing it every day, firsthand…
The Rheumatology Research Foundation’s strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned yet another four-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. This is the 10th consecutive time the Foundation has earned this top distinction. Only 1% of charities have ever received 10 consecutive four-star evaluations, indicating the Foundation outperforms…
A note from ARP President Hazel L. Breland, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA: Some time has passed since the ACR first published its NP/PA Rheumatology Curriculum Outline. Originally developed to serve as a guide for rheumatologists to onboard a nurse practitioner (NP) or physician assistant (PA) into the rheumatology practice setting, the ACR has realized this valuable resource…
Join us for the Rheumatology Documentation and Coding Workshop taking place during the 2019 State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium, Friday, April 5 in Chicago. The Rheumatology Documentation and Coding Workshop will take a deep dive into the new Medicare coding and documentation requirements for evaluation and management coding, medical decision making and specificity in diagnosis coding. Due…
One aspect of the Rheumatology Research Foundation’s work is recruiting more people into the field, and it starts by building interest in rheumatology among the best and brightest medical and graduate students. The Foundation is fueling the pipeline of rheumatology professionals by supporting students, residents and fellows in a number of ways, such as with…
CHICAGO—The pre-clinical rheumatology curriculum at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, used to consist mainly of portions of a musculoskeletal course, with up to only three instructional hours, and not always with a rheumatologist in the room with students. Systemic autoimmune diseases were never fully discussed in any of the…