The 2015 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Workforce Study projected that by 2030 the number of adult rheumatologists will decline by 25%.1 The result: Demand for rheumatologists is projected to be more than twice the available supply of providers by 2030. Advanced practice rheumatology professionals can help practices overcome the barrier this mismatch will create…
Payer audits and coding scrutiny are in full swing after an influx of fraudulent claims during the COVID-19 pandemic. Make sure your coding practices are in compliance to protect your revenue.
When Jonathan Kay, MD, attends a medical lecture, he does more than just listen to the speakers or watch their presentations. He typically whips out his pen and draws a caricature of someone in the room. Dr. Kay is a professor of medicine and holds the Timothy S. and Elaine L. Peterson Chair in Rheumatology…
Best Overall: Cutaneous Manifestations of Dermatomyositis These images, submitted by Santhanam Lakshminarayanan, MD, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, show a 32-year-old Black woman with classic cutaneous manifestations of dermatomyositis: heliotrope rash; periorbital edema with complete closure of the eyes; erythema nodosum on the…
He just didn’t get it. I love my mechanic. After many years of taking my car to mechanics who took my money without explaining what they were doing with it, I finally found someone who loved to teach. Whenever I bring my car to his shop, class is in session. He gestures for me to…
The 1999 Institute of Medicine report To Err Is Human gave a sobering depiction of the magnitude and consequences of medical error.1 The report concluded that approximately 98,000 people die in hospitals annually due to preventable medical errors. Of all the errors detailed in this report, diagnostic errors have since been determined to be the…
A 2021 study demonstrated the prevalence of COVID-19 breakthrough infections in vaccinated healthcare workers, underlining the need for booster shots for this at-risk population.
The following websites offer an abundance of options to help your patients understand their disease and learn to live with it. Several sites offer information in various languages, and for your patients who prefer audio-visual to print, one site has several educational videos. The ACR—Diseases and Conditions: Gout (Web page or PDF available in English…
Every year, the Ragan PR Daily Awards recognize the most outstanding public relations campaigns and initiatives. Due to the ACR’s work to elevate the voices of patients living with rheumatic diseases, its 2020 Rheumatic Diseases Awareness Month campaign has received three of these major awards.
I just couldn’t believe it. Like all of you, I receive many requests to see patients urgently. And like all of you, I can’t possibly accommodate all of those requests. So I triage: I look through the referrals and try to differentiate patients who want to be seen from those who need to be seen….