For 30 years, the Rheumatology Research Foundation has been funding research and advancing treatments. During that time, Leonard L. Dragone, MD, PhD, received a Foundation award to help look for new strategies to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in mouse models. Then, he was working as an assistant professor of pediatrics and immunology at the…
A 65-year-old established female patient returns to the office for a follow-up visit for her diagnosis of fibromyalgia. She complains of pain, stiffness and swelling in her left hand, elbow and neck that is persistent since her last visit. The pain is considerably worse in the morning. She denies any fevers, cough or dyspnea. The…
Take the challenge. CPT codes: 99213-25, 20553, 73120/LT Diagnosis: ICD-9 7291 ICD-10 M79.7 Coding for trigger-point injections continues to create a lot of confusion on proper coding guidelines. Keep in mind, two CPT4 codes can be used for trigger-point procedures: 20552—Injection(s); single or multiple trigger point(s), one or two muscle(s); and 20553—Single or multiple trigger…
Dear ACR and ARHP Colleagues, In 2007, the ACR created RheumPAC as the need for strong advocacy for rheumatologists and their patients and rheumatology training and research became compelling. The Government Affairs Committee was adept at developing novel ideas and strong policies, but there was a notable gap between policy and politics. RheumPAC was started…
At this year’s ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Francisco, you can take advantage of a variety of sessions designed to address pressing concerns in practice management today. Practice managers, clinicians, office staff and others will enjoy and benefit from hands-on practical sessions and informative panel discussions by top content experts in the field. Here are…
The classic American social studies lesson is How a Bill Becomes a Law, but a more pertinent lesson for U.S. rheumatologists today may be How a Dollar Bill Becomes a PAC. This article is a nuts-and-bolts primer on how exactly RheumPAC works. The purpose is to inform readers about how and why to participate. Money…
At the 2014 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in Boston, the Rheumatology Research Foundation staff sat down with a few ACR and ARHP members to get their take on what the Foundation’s 30th anniversary means to them. We spoke with current and former leaders of the Foundation and the ACR, as well as numerous Foundation award recipients,…
In today’s busy rheumatology practices, the services of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, occupational therapists and clinical nurse specialists are a great asset for patient flow, as well as increased revenue. As the growth of nonphysician providers (NPPs) in rheumatology practices has evolved, it has become increasingly important to understand the incident-to rules and avoid the…
Incident-to Billing Case Scenario A 51-year-old female patient returns for a follow-up visit with a physician assistant (PA) for unilateral primary osteoarthritis of her right knee. She had an intraarticular corticosteroid injection of her right knee six weeks prior to her visit. She reports significant improvement in her knee pain and stiffness, and states the…
Diagnoses: ICD-9 715.16, 528.02, E943.8 ICD-10 M17.11, K12.32, T39.395A This was an established patient visit with a new diagnosis. Because the PA sought out the physician to address the new problem and document the assessment and treatment, the visit can still be billed as incident-to. Note: The physician initiated the plan of care for treatment…