SAN DIEGO—Should patients with rheumatic diseases switch from a biologic to its biosimilar? At the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting’s Great Debate, held Nov. 5, two rheumatologists argued whether to switch or stay put based on safety, efficacy and potential cost savings. First to the podium to make the case for switching, Jonathan Kay, MD, tweaked…
Generating articles of incorporation, convening boards of directors, establishing nonprofit status: It’s no small feat to form a state rheumatology society, but with the right expertise, the results can be successful, according to the president of the Rheumatology Association of Minnesota and the Dakotas, Jody Hargrove, MD, who is in private practice with Arthritis &…
Greetings, advocates! Your government is back to work after ending a brief government shutdown by passing a short-term continuing resolution (CR), which will keep the government running at current funding levels into February. At some point, it would be great for Congress to pass a budget (instead of a CR) and to enact bipartisan plans…
During the 2017 MIPS transition year, eligible clinicians faced many challenges, including extreme and uncontrollable disasters, such as the California wildfires and Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. In light of this and the understanding that practices may not be able to collect or submit program data for an extended period of time, the Centers for…
As reported in the Dec. 28 edition of ACR@Work, Anthem Blue Cross recently announced plans to reduce reimbursement for evaluation and management (E/M) services when billed with modifier 25. At the AMA House of Delegates in November, the ACR joined with a number of other groups to support a resolution directing the AMA to advocate…
Efforts by the ACR to develop a rheumatology-specific alternative payment model (APM) are well under way. The first draft proposal was approved by the ACR Board of Directors in November and presented to the rheumatology community during the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego. The ACR is pursuing the development of a rheumatology-specific APM…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The Trump administration proposed a rule on Thursday to allow Americans who are self-employed or work for small businesses to buy health insurance that does not comply with all Obamacare requirements in an effort to unwind the 2010 healthcare law. The rule, put forward by the Department of Labor, would allow individuals and small…
Translational research is designed to investigate a particular disease process to achieve an improved outcome for patients. Here are some insights into how to bring together the right people for a research team and keep that team focused…
On Nov. 5, more than 100 students and residents gathered for the Rheumatology Research Foundation’s Student and Resident Experience at the ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego. As part of the Foundation’s work to increase the number of rheumatology professionals in the U.S., the event is designed to increase excitement in the field. Attendees enjoyed…
Anthem Blue Cross recently announced changes to its reimbursement policies for modifier 25. As of Jan. 1, 2018, Anthem plans in California, Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio and Wisconsin will reduce reimbursement for evaluation and management (E/M) services by 50% when billed with modifier 25. This policy will expand to Missouri on Feb….