For patients living with a chronic disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis, learning to manage and cope with the myriad adverse symptoms that accompany these diseases is key to improving quality of life and helping reduce the cost burden of these illnesses on the healthcare system. One important way rheumatologists can help is by…
Although close collaboration with a variety of specialists outside of rheumatology is important, you could make the case for rheumatologists and pulmonologists having to work together even more closely. If lung symptoms are severe and not under control, the results could be fatal. However, the question sometimes is when to refer—even when there are not…
Questions, concerns and spirited debate have surrounded the Graduate Medical Education (GME) system for decades. The program that trains nearly 120,000 physicians per year is under constant scrutiny.1 Changes to the political landscape, combined with ongoing efforts by health industry payers and regulators to squeeze inefficiency out of the system, have kept the GME in…
Studies suggest that physicians rate between 10 and 15% of patient visits “difficult.”1 This is important for a variety of reasons: Patient satisfaction is a frequently measured parameter, and poor interactions may lead to bad ratings. Personal satisfaction on the part of the provider is also an issue, and frustrating interviews can leave the physician…
A report from the Institute of Medicine that gives new diagnostic criteria for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and recommends a new name for the disorder received mixed reviews from rheumatologists and other physicians.1 “Diagnosing ME/CFS often is a challenge … the new diagnostic criteria will make it easier for clinicians to recognize and accurately…
The beep of the cellphone text got me off the armchair. I had been feeling cozy and comfortable. Outside the window, it was a blissful winter wonderland—the one, I believe, Nat King Cole intended when recording “The Christmas Song.” But at the same time, I was anxious to hear whether my clinic would be canceled…
Rheumatologists worried about the future of their private practices might want to consider jumping onto the super group trend that allows physicians and other providers with similar services to team up to share opportunities and minimize financial burdens. The biggest concern for private practice physicians watching the trend but not yet embracing it is fear…
Case You’ve been asked to see an inpatient for a rheumatologic consultation. After seeing the patient, you enter an initial consult note in the electronic medical record (EMR). The next day, when you write a follow-up note for this patient, you copy part of your assessment and plan from your prior note. Soon after you…
Whether you’re considering selling your practice, growing your practice or maintaining the status quo, it’s important to periodically do a checkup on your internal operations and compliance with the law. It’s always preferable to discover problems within your practice and correct them (if possible) before those issues are discovered by third parties, such as the…
Jonathan Hausmann, MD, a pediatric and adult rheumatology fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Boston Children’s Hospital, remembers seeing a patient with a red, swollen and tender big toe early in his fellowship and diagnosing his patient with gout. He was happy to be able to help the patient, and he called in…