The Case You’re working in a busy rheumatology practice with wait times of two to three months for new outpatient consultations. A hospital administrator requests that his daughter see you right away. All but one of your urgent appointment slots for the week is already filled, and there are several patients on a waitlist; these…
Although gout is one of the most effectively treated of all rheumatic diseases, it is among the worst-managed diseases long term, as shown by many studies. “Treatments are excellent, yet are dramatically under-utilized,” says Theodore Fields, MD, FACP, rheumatologist, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), New York. “This is because some gout patients feel better between…
New Rheumatologist at Minnesota Clinic Meghan Scheibe, MD, is pleased with her new position at CentraCare Clinic Rheumatology and Infusion Services, a hospital-based practice in St. Cloud, Minn. “It’s a great practice,” says Dr. Scheibe. “Young, energetic partners and wonderful support staff. I’m seeing four to six new patients a day.” These are patients who had…
WASHINGTON, D.C.—A 70-year-old woman had been diagnosed with rotator cuff disease three years earlier and received an array of treatments. What she hadn’t received was an X-ray. She’d had an MRI, and her doctor—not an orthopedist or a rheumatologist, but a primary care physician—had zeroed in on degenerative changes in her rotator cuff. The problem,…
Working as a rheumatologist in an orthopedic practice has its own unique challenges, but may result in better patient care, according to Sheeja Francis, MD…
My nurse, Joanne, took me aside before I began my next consult. “Room No. 5, breast implant patient. Her lawyer organized the records.” She handed me a hefty three-ring notebook organized by color-coded tabs. “Her attorney called just now,” Joanne raised an eyebrow, “and told me to tell you that, to save time, he highlighted…
As the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) is implemented in January with new models for quality-based reimbursement payments, rheumatologists must seize control of how they will be paid now—and in the future. This message was stressed by speakers during Holy MACRA! How to Survive and Thrive in the Era of MACRA,…
Take the challenge. D—As of January 2015, there are three new codes added to the arthrocentesis codes of 20600–20611. The new codes, 20604, 20606 and 20611, should be reported when the procedure is performed with ultrasound guidance and CPT 76942 should not be billed separately. The three new codes are defined as: 20604—Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or…
“Obesity is an inflammatory state, so it is in the landscape of the rheumatologist,” says Christopher Ritchlin, MD, MPH. And the more attention rheumatologists pay to obesity, the better…
Each rheumatologist’s path to the specialty is unique. Here, three practicing rheumatologists share what inspired them to become rheumatologists, what brings them fulfillment and how to bring others into the specialty…