Case A 46-year-old Caucasian female presented to the outpatient rheumatology clinic where she had been followed for several years. Her chief complaint was pain in her right knee, posterior right thigh and right hip that had begun gradually over the previous three weeks. Her past medical history was significant for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), obesity and…
WASHINGTON, D.C.—As treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) improve, some related conditions that used to be common in patients with RA are not seen very often anymore, but they still exist and physicians need to know how to identify them. Speaking to attendees at the ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting talk titled Rheumatoid Arthritis—A Case-Based Approach to Selected…
A 66-year-old male patient presents to the office with right knee pain. He was in the office two weeks prior for a follow-up visit of his primary osteoarthritis. He received an injection of hyaluronate sodium in his right knee four months before and states that his knee felt like new. He states that everything was…
A recent review examined the effectiveness of arthroscopic mensical surgery in treating meniscal injuries. Researchers determined that little evidence exists to support the use of arthroscopic meniscal surgery and more studies that directly compare it with nonoperative treatments are needed…
Recruiting new patients requires a multi-faceted approach. A rheumatologist must have a solid brand and marketing platform, as well as an active strategy to attract and convert new patients. This might involve embracing social media, having a website, developing a referral network, being involved in your community and nurturing existing patients. Your brand includes such…
SAN FRANCISCO—The risk of stroke after herpes zoster (HZ) infection is elevated in the period immediately after infection in patients with autoimmune diseases, according to a study presented at the 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting.1 The findings were presented in a scientific session, called Discover 2015, that highlighted new research. In another study from the session,…
I am a few weeks post-retirement. Having written thank you notes and completed urgent home projects, I swing in a hammock at our currently fire-threatened cabin north of Winthrop, Wash., and reflect. I feel like a young boy while freely flipping pages of a hand-scribed picture book, The Principles of Uncertainty, by Maira Kalman. She…
Musculoskeletal (MSK) ultrasound is a valuable imaging modality for the practicing rheumatologist and provides an efficient tool with high diagnostic value in the evaluation of patients with musculoskeletal complaints. The use of MSK ultrasound has evolved in the U.S. due to the emergence of less-expensive, portable ultrasound units, which provide high-quality gray-scale and power Doppler…
Bone disorders play role in development of osteoarthritis pain, progression
CPT coding changes for arthrocentesis injections in 2015