Editor’s note: The new Pillar Talk column is developed by the ARHP Executive Committee in an effort to share information about ongoing activities related to our four pillars: Education, Practice, Research and Advocacy. The ARHP Practice Committee is committed to addressing the current needs and evolving practice opportunities for health professionals working in rheumatology. A…
The landscape of practice management and coding methodologies continues to be challenging in the current healthcare environment, and rheumatology practices must maintain focus on managing an effective and efficient practice. Join us at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, Nov. 3–8 in San Diego, and gain knowledge and understanding of best practices in an ever-changing environment…
With a shortage of rheumatologists in the U.S. already a problem and projected to get far worse, the ACR is advocating for the passage of a variety of laws that would help narrow the gap. Legislation being fought for by ACR advocacy leaders involves streamlining visa processing for foreign physicians and promoting incentives for physicians…
A 66-year-old woman returns to the office for a follow-up visit. She is seen by the physician assistant (PA) for her rheumatoid arthritis. She is experiencing burning pain in her right knee, and she reports that after going for her morning walk, she rates the pain at a 6 on a scale of 10. She…
As medical professionals, we understand the impact quality research can have on how we care for our patients. The extensive adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) has enabled the collection of big data in rheumatology. This has provided a new and unique opportunity for the rheumatology community to conduct in-depth research into how patients are…
Is a rheumatologist in your practice retiring? Do patients wait a long time for an appointment? Answering yes to these questions could mean it’s time to hire a new rheumatologist. Here are a few other considerations…
The Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness (RISE) Registry is the ACR’s registry for quality improvement and reporting. Aggregated statistics and trends seen in the RISE Registry will be published monthly in The Rheumatologist. Visit www.RISEregistry.org to learn how you can use RISE to improve your patient care. As a Qualified Clinical Data Registry, RISE provides an…
Believe it or not, change begins with one person willing to lead by example—and you can be that person. All too often, we get caught up with the changes we want. However, instead of talking about what we would like, it’s time to lead. The best way to do this is to show others you’re…
Members’ voices are crucial to making an impact on policies that have an impact on healthcare. Here, we’d like to thank members who have invested in the first half of this year, yielding $16,000 more than was raised over the same time period last year. In response to an in-depth examination of RheumPAC in 2016,…
“Too often, a patient may feel too intimidated to ask a question,” says Ara Dikranian, MD. Here are considerations and communication techniques rheumatologists can use to encourage greater patient understanding and engagement…