How are COVID-19 and current restrictions on physical distancing affecting rheumatologists? The Rheumatologist interviewed Karim Masri, MD, to ask how the pandemic has changed the way he and his clinic staff deliver patient care, and how these unprecedented times affect patients, staff and life outside the office. Dr. Masri is a practicing rheumatologist at Bon…
The Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) announced last week an extension of the 2019 Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) reporting deadline to 8 p.m. EDT on Thursday, April 30. The extreme and uncontrollable circumstances policy has also been updated to automatically apply to any MIPS-eligible providers who do not submit data by the…
The new landscape for rheumatologists includes telemedicine, kids out of school and infection-prevention protocols. During the current pandemic, the practice of medicine, research and daily lives are changing to keep providers and patients safe…
Hundreds of rheumatology providers are using RISE registry data collected from their EHRs over the past year for required 2019 federal reporting.
The ACR has created a chart of temporary changes to commercial payers’ telehealth policies that make it easier for physicians and patients to connect without the need for an office visit.
The ACR is urging insurance companies to expand access to telehealth services and provide relief from administrative burdens to help providers focus on patient care at this critical time.
In partnership with rheumatology and other specialty organizations, the ACR is working against payer and employer policies that mandate specialty pharmacy acquisition of in-office treatments.
CMS has extended the deadline for 2019 MIPS submission to 8 p.m. EDT on April 30, 2020.
ATLANTA—From step therapy requirements to infusion center locations to evaluation and management coding, insurance issues bring frequent headaches to clinicians and patients. Experts discussed some of the most recent concerns in a session at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting. Chris Phillips, MD, chair of the ACR’s Insurance Subcommittee (ISC), and Gary Bryant, MD, delegate to…
She wanted me to call in an antibiotic. My sister, a lawyer, often tells me how the ethics of her profession govern even her extra-professional acts. She feels that when she was sworn into the New York State bar, she lost the freedom to bend the truth. She would never, for example, attempt to smuggle…