CHICAGO—ACR leaders described a series of looming legislative and regulatory threats to rheumatologists and their patients—including the proposed collapsing of evaluation and management (E/M) coding and potential changes to step therapy rules—and urged everyone in the field to make their voices heard to quash the proposals. They also recounted recent victories in the policy realm…
In 2018, did you interact with the Medicare payment system, receive payment for a consultation code or worry about the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) reducing reimbursement through its proposal to combine evaluation and management codes in the Physician Fee Schedule? If your answer to any of those questions is yes, then you…
Chairing the ACR’s Communications and Marketing Committee (CMC) can be a monumental task: The CMC is responsible for both internal and external communications to a variety of people, including rheumatology providers, patients, lawmakers, the pharmaceutical industry and others. But the CMC’s newest chair, Suleman Bhana, MD, FACR, is up for the job. The Rheumatologist recently…
By the time Kelly Conway was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 2007, she had already been living with symptoms of the disease for 23 years. Her first symptom appeared when she was 14—knee pain that was incorrectly diagnosed as tendonitis. Over the years, she has experienced fevers and sore joints. She was diagnosed with…
If someone had told me that one day I would serve as the 82nd president of the ACR, I would have thought it as likely as lassoing the moon. Now, with the gavel passed to me at our 2018 Annual Meeting, I assume this role in awe of the enormity of this honor, as well…
The 2018 U.S. midterm elections mobilized American voters, bringing more than 100 million people to the polls.1 It also brought the House of Representatives under the control of Democrats, while Republicans maintained control of the Senate, splitting the legislative branch between two parties. As the 116th Congress prepares to convene in January 2019, the ACR’s…
CHICAGO—ACR leaders described a series of looming legislative and regulatory threats to rheumatologists and their patients—including the proposed collapsing of evaluation and management (E/M) coding and potential changes to step therapy rules—and urged everyone in the field to make their voices heard to quash the proposals. They also recounted recent victories in the policy realm…
“Men work harder than women.” My mother is a pediatrician, and I have two sisters—one is a dermatologist, and one is a real estate attorney. Therefore, I think understandably, this message took me by surprise. Of late, I have been particularly awed by my lawyer-sister, with whom I catch up when she is taking the…
In a rheumatology practice, registered nurses take on multiple roles, from administrative tasks to engaging in patient support and assessment. They can aid rheumatologists and help provide the best care to patients…
Save the date for the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, Oct. 19–24 in Chicago. Connect with your colleagues for an unmatched educational experience featuring exceptional sessions by leading rheumatology experts. The ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting is your gateway to global rheumatology education. With more than 450 sessions—including The Great Debate—the meeting provides boundless opportunities for professional development,…