Although the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is simplifying documentation through its Patients over Paperwork initiative, clinical documentation improvement (CDI) did not go away. CDI is not about how to code in ICD-10-CM or the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT); instead, it is a huge part of the solution in maximizing the integrity of…
It’s often said the eyes are the window to the soul, and in the case of ankylosing spondylitis and other spondyloarthropathies, one can also say the eyes are the window to systemic disease. Although uveitis occurs in approximately 2–5% of patients with inflammatory bowel disease, 6–9% of patients with psoriatic arthritis and 25% of patients…
ATLANTA—Every year at its Annual Meeting, the ACR recognizes its members’ outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology through an awards program. The ACR is proud to announce 20 award recipients for 2019, honored for their accomplishments as clinicians, instructors or researchers who have helped advance rheumatology, for their commitment to inspire others to enter…
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved nintedanib for systemic sclerosis associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) on Sept. 6 after a randomized, controlled trial (SENSCIS) demonstrated significant benefit against placebo.1 At a cost of $96,000 per year, treatment reduced the adjusted annual rate of change in forced vital capacity (FVC) from –93.3 mL in…
Three full-time, ACR advocacy staffers are now working in Washington, D.C., to provide a daily presence for national rheumatology lobbying efforts.
Recent research has found a higher does of anifrolumab may benefit patients with moderate to severe SLE…
Insurance overpayments can occur in a practice for a variety of reasons. An insurer may simply make a mistake by paying a provider more than the contracted amount for a service or pay for a service that is not covered under the patient’s insurance plan. Whatever the reason, overpayments can and will create headaches for…
A 56-year-old automobile mechanic was referred to our rheumatology service by his orthopedist to evaluate left posterior knee pain and swelling that had been present for three months. The patient had undergone bilateral total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) for sports-related osteoarthritis three years before. In addition to the knee pain, the patient described several years of…
According to a survey commissioned by CompHealth, doctors work longer than the average American, intending to retire at age 68.1 Eventually, most physicians do decide to pull the plug on their careers. Questions about when to retire and what happens next are important to answer. “The primary question to ask yourself is, ‘Do I still…
Case Presentation A 45-year-old man with crystal-proven gout, poorly controlled diabetes and chronic kidney disease was lost to follow-up for six years and presented back to the VA clinic in the midst of a gout flare. He stated he had continued taking 100 mg of allopurinol daily, but his serum urate level was 13.8 mg/dL….