Submitting a clean Medicare reimbursement claim the first time can save your practice thousands of dollars each year. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) defines a clean claim as “a submitted patient claim form without any defect or need for substantiation.”
Is Your Office Lab Up to Par?
Rheumatology practices with laboratory testing facilities in their offices can offer important benefits to patients and physicians. During their care of patients with musculoskeletal and rheumatic diseases, rheumatologists may order many tests, including erythrocyte sedimentation rate, synovial fluid analysis, complete blood count, fecal occult test, and urinalysis. While the prompt receipt of test results and the capability to evaluate specimens in the office directly improves efficiency, it is important to remember that offices must be certified to perform laboratory testing, particularly high-complexity tests such as the analysis of synovial fluids.
2007: A Remarkable Year for ARHP
As I write this column, we are preparing to meet in Boston for the 2007 ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting, and my year as the ARHP president is coming to end. It has been a remarkable year for the ARHP, as we have made significant progress toward achieving the goals identified in our Long-Range Plan…
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is possibly the most common nerve disorder experienced today. It affects 3% to 7% of the population and is usually treatable. Middle-age and older individuals are more likely to develop CTS than younger people, and women develop CTS three times more frequently than men.
Become a Champion for RA
Ask any rheumatologist about the state of RA as a disease and you’re likely to get the same answer: There’s reason for great optimism and there’s a lot of work to be done.
Advocates for Arthritis, We’ll See You on the Hill
The annual ACR Advocates for Arthritis program will be held in Washington, D.C., Feb. 25–26, 2008. As in previous years, physicians, health professionals and patients will visit congressional offices to discuss current legislation that would advance research, prevention and care for patients with arthritis and other rheumatic diseases.
Fraud and Abuse: What’s the Difference?
Each year, fraud and abuse cost the Medicare and Medicaid programs billions of dollars. What is the difference between fraud and abuse? The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services define fraud and abuse as two different offenses…
National HMO Class-Action Case Settled
The latest development in the healthcare class-action settlement will affect approximately 900,000 physicians (and some major state medical societies) who may be eligible to receive compensation from the settlement – as long as they file a claim. The case has been called “historic” by those representing both physicians and insurance companies.
Voices on the Hill
On September 19, the ACR and the Arthritis Foundation held a joint legislative briefing to inform Congress members and their staff about the devastating effects of arthritis and related rheumatic diseases, as well as to encourage support of the “Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act of 2007” (S.626/H.R. 1283), or Arthritis Act.
Joint Surgery
Modern joint replacement surgery involves removal of worn cartilage from both sides of the joint, followed by resurfacing of the joint with a metal and plastic replacement implant that looks and functions much like a normal joint. Although nearly every joint in the body can be replaced, most replacement surgeries involve the hip or knee. Joint replacement surgery is typically recommended for patients who have tried non-surgical treatment but still have joint pain. While this is an extremely effective surgical treatment, total joint replacement should be considered as the last (rather than the first) treatment option for patients with advanced arthritis of the hip, knee, or shoulder.
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