In an age of constant change and regulations, one thing remains the same in coding and billing: If it’s not documented, it wasn’t done. This is the main rule for documentation. Good documentation is and always has been the foundation of accurately capturing a provider’s work and the patient’s condition, management and treatment. Introduced by…
Physician burnout is high and climbing. A 2015 report published by Medscape showed that nearly half (46%) of physicians surveyed responded that they were experiencing burnout; that number is up from 39.8% reported in a similar survey in 2013.1 These physicians experience the tell-tale signs of burnout: loss of enthusiasm for work (or emotional exhaustion),…
Telemedicine apps used on mobile devices may help rheumatologists connect with select patients, increasing practice efficiency and patient access to treatment…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—A multicomponent intervention can significantly increase pneumococcal vaccination rates in pediatric rheumatology patients, researchers report. “The interventions outlined in our article can easily be implemented in pediatric rheumatology practices or other subspecialty clinics,” Dr. Julia G. Harris from Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Mo., told Reuters Health by email. “It takes additional…
We all know that completely different medical conditions can create the same effects on our patients’ work lives. That is, from the employer’s purely administrative standpoint, an absence is an absence regardless of its cause. Even medical care professionals react differently to similar effects rendered by completely different circumstances. A Personnel Crisis Let me give…
The ICD-10 page on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website features a countdown clock that shows the time left until Oct. 1, 2015, the date on which compliance with the new code set becomes mandatory. By the time this issue goes to press, the clock will read 90 or fewer days. Time…
Full disclosure: I am not a rabid fan of dogs. None rank among my best friends. Perhaps my antipathy stems from a memorable childhood event, when I was chased down the street where I lived by a neighbor’s large and not-so-friendly hound. He seemed to be twice my size, and this explains why I may…
Ethical considerations for rheumatologists in terminating consultative services to a community hospital
ARHP volunteer leaders discuss benefits of committee service
Tips on defining new and established patients; determining an appeal approach