Pseudogout is a type of arthritis that, as the name implies, can cause symptoms similar to gout, but which are a reaction to a different type of crystal deposit. This type of arthritis may be one of the most misunderstood forms, and is often mistaken for gout and other conditions, including RA. Proper diagnosis is important because untreated pseudogout may lead to a severe form of joint degeneration and ongoing inflammation, resulting in chronic disability.
Articles by From the College
REF and AF Partner to Provide an Additional “Bridge Funding”
Fostering promising investigators is imperative to the future of rheumatology, so when the ACR Research and Education Foundation (REF) board of directors discovered that outstanding applicants were not being funded through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) K-series grant program (the NIH’s career development award program) due to budgetary constraints, the REF quickly called a meeting with the Arthritis Foundation (AF) and the NIH to discuss a solution.
Help Find a Cure for RA
The ACR REF established the Within Our Reach: Finding a Cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) campaign in 2006 with one goal in mind: to find a cure for RA.
Systematically Improve Practice Operations Performance
Imagine coming into your practice one morning to discover that your entire staff has quit. There are no two-week notices, no leaves of absence, and no one has stuck around to answer your questions—they all just walk out the door.
Coding Tip: When To Use 99211
Many rheumatology practices don’t know when to bill the nursing code 99211. Because of this confusion, some practices shy away from using it at all, and some overuse it.
Where Do RheumPAC Donations Go?
RheumPAC has been a standing committee of the ACR since 2007. The PAC was established to increase the ACR’s presence in Washington, D.C., and is charged with managing the contributions to congressional campaigns, as well as soliciting the membership for funds to increase the purse for these contributions.
Coding Corner Question
July’s Coding Challenge
Coding Corner Answer
July’s Coding Answer
Nonsurgical Management of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
Maura D. Iversen, PT, DPT, SD, MPH, of MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston, will discuss the nonsurgical management of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), epidemiology, and common symptoms associated with this condition during the ARHP rheumatology audioconference on Wednesday, May 21, from noon to 1:00 p.m. (EST). Iversen will provide a summary of nonpharmacologic and nonsurgical interventions to manage LSS—including a summary and evaluation of manual therapy techniques and exercise.
American College of Rheumatology (ACR) on Capitol Hill
“By tomorrow night, there will be so many more people on Capitol Hill who know—and are sensitive to—rheumatology and the issues that impact you and your patients. There is no substitute for what you are doing,” says Martha M. Kendrick, a partner at Patton Boggs, LLP, the ACR’s lobbying firm. This is what she told the physician, health professional, and patient participants of the ACR’s 2008 “Advocates for Arthritis” advocacy event—termed a fly-in—before they took their personal stories to the lawmakers on Capitol Hill.