Recent clinical trials have shown that baricitinib is safe and effective for treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis who have proved non-responsive to multiple biologic treatments…
ABIM Announcement: Alternative MOC Assessment Starting January 2018
The American Board of Internal Medicine announced plans to offer a new Maintenance of Certification (MOC) assessment for internal medicine—and possibly other specialties—starting January 2018. Specific details are expected by Dec. 31, 2016, following a public comment period. The ACR will continue to push for access to clinical decision-making tools as an open-book, take-home assessment or for continuing medical education activities with assessment components to be considered appropriate options…
Autoantibodies in Pregnant Woman May Put Infant at Risk for Neonatal Lupus Erythematosus
A recent case study revealed that an infant from a donor egg developed neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE) and a congenital heart block, which may have been due to the presence of antibodies to Ro and La in the birth mother—not the genetic mother. The results suggest that a gestational mother with a history of autoimmune disease is sufficient to trigger the pathology of NLE…
TNF Blocking Drugs Persist in Infants after Exposure In-Utero
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Babies born to mothers who took anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agents during pregnancy have detectable drug in their bodies up to 12 months of age, new findings show. These infants should therefore not receive live vaccines during their first year of life, Dr. Mette Julsgaard of Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark and…
Drug Company Gifts Linked to Doctors’ Prescribing Habits
(Reuters Health)—Doctors who receive payments or gifts from pharmaceutical companies are more likely to prescribe brand name medications, a new study suggests. Dr. James Yeh, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and colleagues write May 9 online in JAMA Internal Medicine that some states require doctors to report what they receive from drug companies….
Rheumatology Coding Corner Question: Documentation Improvement
A 55-year-old female patient returns for her second infliximab infusion. Her temperature is 98°F, her height is 5’6″ and her weight is 151 lbs. She received 210 mg infliximab via infusion. The patient arrived at the clinic at 8:15 a.m. and left at 10:55 a.m. Can this encounter be coded correctly? Yes No A 38-year-old…
Rheumatology Coding Corner Answer: Documentation Improvement
Take the challenge. B—No. Although the documentation states the patient arrived at the clinic at 8:15 a.m. and left the clinic at 10:55 a.m., it does not document the actual start and stop times of the infusion. According to CPT, when reporting codes for which infusion time is a factor, use the actual time over…
Preparing for Increased HIPAA Audits Among Smaller Rheumatology Providers
Recent enforcement activities of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) have shown an increase in fines and penalties assessed against smaller providers for failing to comply with the privacy, security and breach notification requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Historically, OCR has focused on larger…
Role of Dietitians in Rheumatology
What do dietitians do to help manage patients with rheumatic disease? Dietitians are well integrated, for example, in the practice of nephrology and diabetes, but few are active in the specialty of rheumatology. However, dietitians are recognized as part of the team of providers designated to care for patients with rheumatic disease by the ACR….
Rheumatology Research Foundation Launches #RheumLife
May is recognized as National Arthritis Awareness Month, a time to bring attention to the more than 46 million Americans living with arthritis and related inflammatory diseases. In honor of the occasion, the Rheumatology Research Foundation is launching #RheumLife, a social media campaign to bring awareness to the severity of rheumatic disease. Through Twitter and…
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