Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Hospitals Have Lower Death Rates During Surprise Inspections

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—Patients may be less likely to die in U.S. hospitals during weeks when accreditation inspectors show up unannounced than during other times of the year, a recent U.S. study suggests. Researchers examined mortality data for 1,984 hospitals nationwide from 2008 to 2012. During surprise inspections, 7.03% of patients died within 30 days of being…

New NICE Guidance for Low Back Pain

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If left untreated, low back pain can cause long-term disability. To aid its diagnosis and management, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has released revised guidance. Recommendations include the use of risk stratification tools for diagnosis, as well as physical activity or a comprehensive program that addresses biomechanical, aerobic and/or psychological needs…

Scant Consumer Information in Local TV Coverage of Obamacare

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—Local TV news coverage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), often called Obamacare, generally focused more on politics than on information consumers can use to help choose insurance, a recent study suggests. Overall, less than half of ACA-related news coverage focused on health insurance products, while much of the rest of the spots concentrated…

Not Much Saving Going on in Health Savings Accounts

Beth Pinsker  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters)—Health savings accounts (HSAs) feature prominently in the new healthcare bill being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives, with a variety of changes in store. But research shows not many participants are actually saving money beyond the initial tax break. More than 20 million Americans currently have these accounts, which allow people…

Paternal Methotrexate Exposure Not Tied to Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes

Scott Baltic  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—A father’s exposure to methotrexate 90 days or less before conception “should not be of major concern,” researchers say. Prepregnancy paternal methotrexate exposure appears to confer no increased risk of major or minor congenital malformation, stillbirth or preterm birth in his offspring, their study found. Methotrexate is a first-line therapy for rheumatoid…

Clinical Documentation and Coding Boot Camp

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Coding properly and efficiently can have a profound effect on practice viability. ICD-10’s many changes, both ongoing and planned, have many physicians, coders and practice administrators confused, especially as the changes relate to clinical documentation improvement. To address this issue, a pre-symposium course on documentation and coding will be held in conjunction with the ACR’s…

AHCA, ACR Health Policy & More

Angus B. Worthing  |  

Editor’s note: This blog by Dr. Worthing originally appeared on the ACR’s Advocacy Listserv. What a month! House Republicans introduced their bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. The ACR has analyzed the bill and believes the American Health Care Act (AHCA) does not go far enough to help Americans with rheumatic diseases. Brief recap: The…

Time to Rethink Inpatient Rehab After Knee Replacement?

Megan Brooks  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Inpatient rehabilitation did not lead to better mobility following total knee replacement compared with a home-based program in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in Australia. The findings do not support inpatient rehabilitation for adults undergoing uncomplicated total knee arthroplasty, conclude the authors in JAMA on March 14.1 “Normally, one study is…