As of Jan. 1, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will implement several coding and documentation policies to provide immediate burden reduction to providers. The 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule (MPFS) released Nov. 1, 2018, by the CMS contained significant changes to the Medicare Part B coding and documentation policies…
Search results for: infliximab
Coding Corner Questions: A Drug Administration Quiz
A 70–year-old female patient with rheumatoid arthritis affecting multiple joints who is rheumatoid-factor positive but without organ or system failure returns for her third infliximab infusion. She is scheduled to receive 500 mg of the drug. How should this encounter be coded? 96413, 96415, J1745 x 50; ICD 10: M05.79 96413, 96415, J1745 x 50;…
The Non-Linear Path of Discovery, & Publicly Funded Research
Black powder was initially developed in 9th century China, by Taoists searching for the philosopher’s stone, which fans of Harry Potter will remember is the talisman that grants eternal life. The Chinese name for black powder literally translates as fire medicine. The chemical composition of black powder was first recorded in China during the 11th…
8 Ways to Help Your Patients with Medication Costs
A patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) comes to your office and needs a medication. You prescribe it, and the patient’s insurance plan covers it. The patient begins the medication and slowly but surely feels better. Prescribing drugs for a patient should be this simple but rarely is, thanks to the high cost of drugs and…
Coding Corner Question: Rheumatology Coding & Practice Quiz
1. A 45-year-old female patient with a diagnosis of primary osteoarthritis returns to the office for her second scheduled injection of sodium hyaluronate (Supartz). The nurse takes the patient’s vitals: weight is 185 lbs., height is 5’2”, and temperature is 98.2°F. The patient is prepped and given the injection. How should this encounter be coded?…
Case Report: A Patient Presents with Rare, Fulminant SAPHO Syndrome
Synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis and osteitis (SAPHO) syndrome is a heterogeneous, inflammatory, musculoskeletal disease. The disease is an insidious, sterile osteitis with associated skin and synovial inflammation.1 Diagnosis can prove challenging, but a thorough clinical history, high clinical suspicion and imaging techniques can help clinch it. The below case reveals a rare, fulminant presentation of…
RISE Lifts Research: The 2018 Annual Meeting Features 6 New Studies Based on RISE Data
Data from the ACR’s Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness (RISE) were used by rheumatology researchers in a crop of new studies that will be presented at the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, Oct. 19–24 in Chicago. Six abstracts, including four oral and two poster presentations, were accepted for this year’s meeting. They explore topics ranging from…
TNFi Exposure in Utero
Vinet et al. evaluated the risk of serious infections in children of women with RA exposed to TNFi’s in the gestational period compared with unexposed offspring of women with RA, as well as with children from the general population. Although the research did not demonstrate a marked excess risk for serious infections, the authors could not exclude a differential risk according to specific TNFi, with infliximab potentially resulting in a threefold increase in the risk of serious infections compared with other TNFi’s. More studies are needed…
Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients on Biologics Remain At Risk of Infection
AMSTERDAM—With new therapies coming into the marketplace, researchers are working to tease out the risk of infection for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Existing data suggest the risk of infections—even fatal ones—is real. But over time, improvements have taken hold, particularly for tuberculosis, according to an infectious disease expert at EULAR: the Annual European Congress of…
Placebos: Their Underappreciated Impact in Pharmaceutical Trials
Sir William Osler, the father of modern medicine, said “the desire to take medicine is perhaps the greatest feature that separates man from animal.” Determination of the benefit of a medication can be challenging and includes a number of factors, such as pharmacologic activities on the disease pathophysiology, pharmacokinetic properties and patient characteristics.1,2 An additional,…
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