Audit activity among Medicare and most third-party payers has increased in response to pressure to reduce healthcare costs. The return of billions of dollars to Medicare, Medicaid and third-party programs through these medical audit reviews has also increased. For example, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) 2014 Annual Report estimated that the Centers for Medicare &…
How do you ask a new patient about sex and gender—or know which pronoun to use? Keep the conversation straightforward and respectful to put everyone at ease, says Morgan Orndorff, a transgender man who works as an administrator at a major academic medical center. “Everyone is a little different in terms of their sensitivity level”…
In the U.S. today, approximately 45% of pregnancies are unintended or unplanned.1 Although this rate is considerably lower than in the past, women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or inflammatory myopathies tend to have better pregnancy outcomes if their disease is well controlled when they conceive. In addition, women taking certain medications…
Think back to your time as a trainee. Do you remember an interaction with a consultant in which you learned something, felt your opinion was heard, were empowered to collaborate with the consulting team and knew you were providing outstanding care? We suspect a number of examples come to mind, regardless of the amount of…
Bad things happen to good rheumatologists—and to their patients—and can have profound personal and professional consequences for the doctor. Sometimes recommended treatments can have predictable, but devastating, side effects. Even if the rheumatologist does everything right according to evidence-based best practice, patients can still have bad outcomes, even die—with resulting feelings of sadness, anger, guilt…
You see a patient for the first time to establish care for Sjögren’s disease. She complains of dry eyes, dry mouth and diffuse arthralgias. You do not appreciate any synovitis on physical exam. Of note, you are the fourth rheumatologist she has seen during the past year. Toward the end of the clinic visit, she…
According to the “2015 American College of Rheumatology Workforce Study: Supply and Demand Projections of Adult Rheumatology Workforce, 2015–2030,” the demand for rheumatologic care is projected to exceed supply of clinical adult rheumatology providers by 4,133 clinical FTEs by 2030. The research now being published estimates the baseline adult rheumatology workforce, as well as determined demographic and geographic factors relevant to the workforce. The research also highlights the need for innovative regional strategies to manage future access to and reduce barriers to care for rheumatology patients in underserved regions…
Although six biosimilar agents have now been approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for use in rheumatology, scientific, clinical, economic and prescribing questions about the use of biosimilars abound. In fact, at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego, Joseph Huffstutter, MD, a rheumatologist in private practice in Chattanooga, Tenn., said that…
With the support of its membership, the ACR publishes clinical practice guidelines in multiple disease areas based on the best available clinical and scientific data. These aim to support health professionals treating rheumatology patients to give the best possible care. Like any set of medical guidelines, ACR guidelines are based on evidence of several different…
New research from the CDC evaluated the prevalence of healthcare provider counseling for physical activity as a management strategy for arthritis. Researchers found that although healthcare provider counseling for exercise has increased during the past decade, 40% of patients with arthritis do not receive this counseling, resulting in a greater prevalence of physical inactivity for this patient population…