Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

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

From the College

Working With Your National Provider Number

Melesia Tillman, CCP, CPC  |  

Beginning May 23, 2008, all practicing physicians who treat Medicare patients must start billing with a working national provider identifier (NPI). Physician and non-physician providers can make any corrections or changes pertaining to their NPIs by contacting the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES)…

Exercise and Arthritis

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Arthritis is consistently used as a reason why people limit exercise. However, physically active individuals with arthritis are healthier, happier, and live longer than those who are inactive and unfit.

Embracing Techmanity

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Will increasing technology in the exam room have a dehumanizing effect on the patient physician relationship? Maybe not.

New Investigators Struggle to Find the Path to Independence

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While practicing rheumatologists face budgetary cuts in Medicare reimbursement, new investigators are facing a challenge of their own. Federal budget cuts and other vanishing funding sources are making it extremely difficult to support their research activities. “Over the past several years, sources of funding for these individuals have become increasingly restricted, with the Arthritis Foundation’s Arthritis Investigator award no longer available and the mentored Career Development Awards (K08 and K23) from the NIH affected by the federal budgetary constraints,” remarks ACR Research and Education Foundation (REF) President Leslie Crofford, MD.

American College of Rheumatology (ACR) on Capitol Hill

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“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.

Polymyalgia Rheumatica

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Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a relatively common cause of widespread aching and stiffness in older adults. PMR can overlap with another rheumatic disease called giant cell arteritis, and symptoms of the two conditions can occur at the same time or separately. (See p. 12 of the March 2008 issue for more on giant cell arteritis.) The typical symptoms of PMR include aching and stiffness around the upper arms, neck, lower back, buttocks, and thighs. Symptoms tend to develop quickly over a period of several days or weeks, and occasionally even overnight.

Audioconference Offers Advice on Pain Associated with Juvenile Arthritis

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What is the pain puzzle? “It is a bio-psycho social model of pain that is accepted in the field of rheumatology,” according to Michael Rapoff, PhD, professor of pediatrics at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City and the highlighted speaker for the ARHP audioconference on April 17.

Avoid Compliance Risks When Using Billing Companies

Antanya Chung, CPC, CCP  |  

Outsourcing your billing to a third party will not alleviate your compliance duties or reduce your risk of a government investigation. Conversely, a relationship with a third-party biller can increase your compliance obligations and raise audit risks.

A New Twist in the Consumerization of Healthcare

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Who are the new medical consumers? These people behave like medical “shoppers” because they are more mobile than previous generations and are empowered by the Internet. They can research and form opinions about diseases, treatment options, and the best route to recovery—all before stepping foot in to an exam room. This emerging population has been taught that in order to be a health-wise consumer and to get the most value, a patient must take an active role in his or her care.

Giant Cell Arteritis

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Giant cell arteritis (GCA)—a type of vasculitis—is a group of diseases whose typical feature is inflammation of blood vessels. The blood vessels most commonly involved are the arteries of the scalp and head (especially the arteries over the temples), which is why another term for GCA is “temporal arteritis.” GCA can overlap with another rheumatic disease called polymyalgia rheumatica, and symptoms of the two conditions can occur at the same time or separately. The causes of GCA and polymyalgia rheumatica are unknown.