Webinar: ACR/CHEST ILD Guidelines in Practice| Video: All the Lonely People

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

Guidance

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Figure 2: High-resolution computed tomography showed evidence of interstitial lung disease.

High-resolution computed tomography shows evidence of ILD.

The ACR/CHEST ILD Guidelines in Practice, a video
In collaboration with the American College of Chest Physicians, the ACR released two new comprehensive guidelines aimed at improving the screening, monitoring, and treatment of patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) secondary to systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs). Recently, Sindhu R. Johnson, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, Canada, director of the Toronto Scleroderma Program and principal investigator for the guideline, and Elana J. Bernstein, MD, MSc, Florence Irving associate professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at Columbia University, New York City, and co-first author, presented a webinar to talk about how the guidelines were developed and present some of the recommendations and their rationale: Watch the recording now!

 

Who Is Liable for Coding Mistakes?

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In today’s fragile economy, there is no room for mistakes, and that rings even truer when it comes to coding and billing. One of the biggest questions heard in the coding world is, Who is liable for coding mistakes—the coder or the provider?

Increase Rheumatology’s Voice in the AMA

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Each June, the American Medical Association’s (AMA’s) House of Delegates Annual Meeting is held in Chicago, gathering representatives from various medical state and specialty societies to discuss and develop official policies of the AMA.

Atlanta My Way: ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting

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Atlanta offers its visitors just about everything—from historic places, museums, and venues to restaurants and nightlife. We’ve asked a few ACR and ARHP staff members to share their favorite restaurants and things to do to help ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting attendees feel more at home in the ACR’s hometown.

Managing Patient Records

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Physician practices handle patient records that contain sensitive information—including financial, demographic, and medical data—on a day-to-day basis. This type of information can put a practice, as well as the patient, at risk if not handled properly. Rheumatology practices should make sure that they have policies and procedures in place for keeping and distributing patient records. In fact, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has set a national standard for the privacy of health information.

Are You a Meaningful User?

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As a follow-up to last month’s article (August 2010) about the final rule for the electronic health record (EHR) stimulus program—which offers up to $64,000 to eligible providers who are meaningful users of an EHR system—this month we will explore the minimum requirements for successful meaningful use, which take effect in 2011 and will build gradually each year of the program.

Coding Education at the Annual Meeting

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The Certified Rheumatology Coding Course and Exam will be available November 6–7 during the ACR/ ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta. This educational session is designed to increase knowledge of coding and billing compliance for physicians, fellows-in-training, practice managers, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and coders/billers in rheumatology practices.

Clinical Opportunities at the Annual Meeting: A Fellow’s Perspective

Zsuzsanna McMahan, MD  |  

Over the years, the ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting has provided exceptional opportunities for all attendees, but it can be especially beneficial for rheumatology fellows, and this year’s annual meeting in Atlanta is no exception. The ACR Annual Meeting Planning Committee and the Fellows Subcommittee will facilitate several educational, mentoring, social, and networking programs specifically for the benefit of fellows.