Often, young adults (18–23 years old) with rheumatic illness demonstrate poor adherence to treatment regimens, lack advocacy skills and have inadequate knowledge about diagnosis and treatment.1 Patients presenting at a transition clinic are typically comfortable with having their parents continue to be centrally involved with their care, but this is a time in life when…
Pathologists are legendary for blending their work product with the culinary arts. Through the years, their use of delectable foods as descriptors has created a clever way to indelibly link in the minds of clinicians the histopathologic observations of disease with an assortment of these tasty foods: There is the depiction of an apple green…
In recent years, providers and practice groups have been worrying about Meaningful Use (MU) and gaining knowledge on using certified electronic health record (EHR) technology to avoid payment penalties, earn incentives and increase practice efficiency. Now, with the release of the final rule for MACRA payment reform, physicians will have two options for payment paths:…
Take the challenge. B—Most employer insurance plans change on Jan. 1. Because of this, it is a best practice for medical office staff to ask if there is any change to a patient’s medical coverage. Even if the patient indicates there are no changes in coverage, staff should still request to review their insurance card….
(Reuters Health)—You might not get what you pay for when it comes to healthcare, a new study hints. A report in Health Affairs on May 2 found little association between how much physician practices charged and patients’ perceptions of their quality of care.1 “We’re asking consumers to make a lot of decisions about healthcare purchasing…
On April 7, 2017, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) published its final report, titled, Targeted Immune Modulators for Rheumatoid Arthritis: Effectiveness & Value.1 The stated objective of the report was to assess the comparative clinical effectiveness of the targeted immune modulators (TIMs) used to treat patients with moderate to severe active rheumatoid…
A little more than three years ago, rheumatologist Michael Brooks, MD, FACP, FACR, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, turned years of discussion into something tangible: He and his colleagues got the paperwork and financial requirements in order and officially started the Rheumatology Association of Iowa. “We had been trying to get something going statewide in terms of…
The FDA has declined to approve baricitinib to treat rheumatoid arthritis, citing the need for more data on dosing and safety…
Multi-disciplinary care may be a slowly growing trend. One clinic in Ohio is raising the bar for lupus patients, serving as a one-stop center for diagnostic testing, imaging services and physical therapy. The clinic is also able to conduct basic research to advance lupus treatment and tests…
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a heterogeneous disease associated with multiple acute or chronic cutaneous manifestations, including the relatively rare category of bullous lupus. The development of vesiculo-bullous lesions may be associated with a high morbidity, hence they warrant an urgent investigation, including a skin biopsy to identify the diagnosis and initiate prompt treatment. With…