When Abby Abelson, MD, FACR, chair of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunologic Disease at Cleveland Clinic, was in medical school, she enjoyed nearly every one of her rotations. But it was the rheumatology patients who inspired her the most. “I saw they had challenges in their lives that they were able to triumph over,”…
Anthem Blue Cross recently announced changes to its reimbursement policies for modifier 25. As of Jan. 1, 2018, Anthem plans in California, Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio and Wisconsin will reduce reimbursement for evaluation and management (E/M) services by 50% when billed with modifier 25. This policy will expand to Missouri on Feb….
SAN DIEGO—The 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, Nov. 3–8, presented opportunities to highlight its 2017 legislative advocacy victories, some of which were resolved just weeks before the conference began, as well as issues that are still outstanding. In the session, Legislative & Regulatory Update 2017, Angus Worthing, MD, chair of the ACR’s Government Advocacy Committee and…
E6011, an anti-fractalkine monoclonal antibody, proved promising for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis during a 52-week clinical trial…
Electronic health records, personal trackers, pedometers—all these technologies result in data, data and more data. What types of technology investments will help rheumatology practices collect and understand these data? Here are some insights into investing in technology for your practice…
New research has examined the autonomic parameters of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) using the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire to place patients on a disease spectrum. Researchers found different groups of CFS patients had different levels of autonomic dysfunction and cognitive impairment, suggesting that different CFS criteria may diagnose a spectrum of disease severities and different CFS phenotypes…
SAN DIEGO—The proposed classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), supported but not yet approved by the ACR and EULAR, were debuted on Nov. 7 at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting. An international steering committee developed and validated the criteria, with patient input and the consensus of more than 150 global SLE experts. Rheumatology researchers…
New research demonstrates that subcutaneous tocilizumab monotherapy may preserve disease control in RA patients who have discontinued methotrexate…
This year, Selena Gomez underwent a kidney transplant as a result of damage from living with lupus. But how can this celebrity story aid rheumatologists? Many see it as an opportunity to raise awareness or create a dialogue with primary care physicians. But for lupus patients, it can be a reminder for them to take control of their own wellbeing, according to rheumatologist Susan Manzi, MD, MPH…
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters)—For Nancy Minoui of Portland, Oregon, and Crystal Lett of Dublin, Ohio, Congress’ failure to fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program is not some distant tale of political wrangling. For Minoui, it’s about how to provide care for her daughter, Marion Burgess, born last Valentine’s Day with a hole in her heart. For…