Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

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

U.S. Senators Reach Bipartisan Deal on Obamacare Backed by Trump

Yasmeen Abutaleb & Richard Cowan  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—On Tuesday, two U.S. senators announced a bipartisan breakthrough to shore up Obamacare for two years by reviving federal subsidies for health insurers that President Donald Trump planned to scrap, and the president voiced support for the plan. The agreement worked out by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) would meet…

Rheumatology Coding Corner Answer: Prolonged Service without Direct Patient Contact, Part 2

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Take the challenge. CPT codes 99358—prolonged evaluation and management (E/M) service before and/or after patient care; first hour 99359—each additional 30 minutes (list separately in addition to codes for prolonged service) Coding Rationale No—This scenario would not support the medical necessity to bill the prolonged service code(s). Keep in mind, the time that the supporting…

Rheumatology Coding Corner Question: Prolonged Service without Direct Patient Contact, Part 2

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An established, 66-year-old male patient is seen in the office for a follow-up visit for his fibromyalgia. The physician makes the decision to prescribe venlafaxine for anxiety and depression, and gabapentin for nerve pain. After the visit, the physician informs his medical assistant (MA) to contact the patient’s insurance carrier because venlafaxine requires a prior…

The ARHP Helps Rheumatology Professionals Avoid Information Overload

Erin Latimer Meadows  |  

In a world where some information is good, more information is better and information overload is a way of life, Carole Dodge, BS, OTR, CHT—a practicing occupational therapist at the University of Michigan—considers the ARHP her professional block and tackle. “ARHP helps me sift through a lot of information and get it to a digestible…

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Rheumatology Case Report: Monoarticular Arthritis in Pregnancy

Aiza Tariq, MD, and Harry D. Fischer, MD  |  

Limited data exist on the clinical presentation of Muckle–Wells syndrome (MWS) during pregnancy. The purpose of this case report is to highlight the diagnosis of MWS in a pregnant woman. Many rheumatic diseases affect women of childbearing age, and their management during pregnancy can be challenging. Case A 33-year-old, 18-weeks’ pregnant woman was hospitalized for…

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Fulbright Scholar Researches Physical Activity in Swedish Children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Carina Stanton  |  

A stroll through downtown Stockholm presents a quintessential picture of an active community, with most people biking or walking as their preferred mode of travel. Yet children in Sweden who live with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)—currently estimated at around 64 of every 100,000—don’t always engage in this active lifestyle.1 Maura Daly Iversen, PT, DPT, SD,…

Pain Treatments Move Closer to U.S. Market

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Two pain treatments, extended-release injectable suspension triamcinolone acetonide (Zilretta) and meloxicam, have seen movement at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In October, the agency approved Zilretta to treat osteoarthritis (OA) knee pain and accepted a new drug application for meloxicam to treat pain. FDA Approves Zilretta On Oct. 6, the FDA approved extended-release,…

Rheumatology Drug Updates: Biosiomilar to Adalimumab Receives FDA Approval; plus Updates on Baricitinib, Tofacitinib, Bimekizumab

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FDA Approves Adalimumab-adbm On Aug. 29, the FDA approved Cyltezo (adalimumab-adbm), a biosimilar to Humira (adalimumab).1 Cyltezo was approved as a prefilled syringe to treat multiple chronic inflammatory diseases, including moderate to severe active RA, active psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, and moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. The treatment has also been approved for moderate…

Ethics Forum: A Physician’s Medical Error & the Patient’s Right to Know

Sian Yik Lim, MD, & Marcy B. Bolster, MD  |  

Case Ms. A is an 82-year-old woman who presented to the rheumatology office for evaluation of osteoporosis. She had been diagnosed with postmenopausal osteoporosis at age 62 after sustaining a right wrist fracture. She was started on alendronate 70 mg weekly and reported medication compliance. At age 79, she sustained an atraumatic right femur fracture….

Rheumatology Health Professionals

Carol Patton with Ann-Marie Lindstrom  |  

‘Living’ Pelvis in the Guinness Book of World Records Shashank Akerkar, MD, an ACR fellow and rheumatoid arthritis specialist at the Mumbai Arthritis Clinic and Research Center in India, found a unique way to draw attention to ankylosing spondylitis (AS). He persuaded 425 patients, mostly those suffering from AS or affected by lupus or rheumatoid…