Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

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

From the College

Marc C. Hochberg, MD, MPH, Named PI for Upcoming OA Guidelines

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The ACR has named Marc C. Hochberg, MD, MPH, as the principal investigator (PI) for the upcoming, “Guidelines for the Management of Osteoarthritis [OA] of the Hip, Knee, and Hand.” Dr. Hochberg is professor of medicine and epidemiology and preventive medicine and head of the division of rheumatology and clinical immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.

How Medically Unlikely Edits Affect a Practice

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Medically unlikely edits (MUEs), formally known as medically unbelievable edits, took effect with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on January 2, 2007. The function of MUEs is to detect and deny unlikely CMS claims on a pre-payment basis with the intention of improving Medicare’s payment process.

Mind Your Accounts Receivable

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Over time, one would expect financial management of a medical practice to become more streamlined and simple. With the abundance of electronic tools, software programs, and the Internet, you can find assistance and problem-solving strategies for economic efficiency. In the rush to take advantage of these support tools, basic facets of financial management, such as billing and collection, have fallen by the wayside.

Then and Now, Health Professionals Vital to Rheumatic Disease Treatment

Kimberly Kimpton, PT  |  

With every decade of life, I am increasingly grateful for the advances that research has produced. These advances go much further than microwave ovens and cell phones. We have seen major strides in treatment of patients with rheumatic diseases.

Preceptorship Applications Due February 1

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The ACR REF/Abbott Health Professional Graduate Student Research Preceptorship introduces students to rheumatology-related healthcare by supporting a graduate student’s full-time research in the broad area of rheumatic disease.

New Merit Award Honors ARHP Advocate

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Ann Kunkel, an advocate and healthcare profes- sional, knows the devastation arthritis can cause. All four of her children have some form of arthritis. “My kids have dealt with this disease for more than 20 years,” says Kunkel. The experience of raising four children with arthritis has been a driving force in Kunkel’s advocacy efforts for over 11 years.

ACR Makes Available Spinal Stenosis Fact Sheet

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Spinal stenosis, or narrowing, is a common condition that occurs when the small spinal canal that contains the nerve roots and spinal cord becomes restricted. This narrowing can squeeze the nerves and the spinal cord, causing lower back and leg pain. People suffering from spinal stenosis have trouble walking any significant distance and frequently must sit or lean forward.

2008 Keystone Pediatric Rheumatology Symposium

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In 1976, a group of rheumatologists convened in Park City, Utah, to discuss the rheumatic diseases of childhood. In many ways, this was the beginning of the pediatric rheumatology subspecialty in the United States.

Increase NIH Funding, Participate in Advocates for Arthritis

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The ACR consistently urges Congress to support issues relating to rheumatologists, rheumatology health professionals, and patients. The primary advocacy goals are: supporting of the “Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act of 2007” (H.R.1283/S.626) and the “Access to Medicare Imaging Act of 2007” (H.R.1293/S.1338), finding a permanent solution to the Medicare reimbursement issue, and increasing funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—including the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases—and other agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Medical and Prosthetic Research Program.