Practice Support

Subcategories:Billing/Coding EMRs Facility Insurance Quality Assurance/Improvement Technology Workforce

Medical Records Don’t Always Match What Patients Say

Lisa Rapaport | February 2, 2017

(Reuters Health)—Symptoms that patients describe to doctors may not always be documented in electronic medical records, a small U.S. study suggests. To test out how well the records match reality, researchers compared symptoms that 162 patients checked off on paper-based questionnaires with the information entered in patients’ electronic charts at eye clinics. Roughly one-third of…

RISE Up: The Registry Now Includes More than 4 Million Patient Encounters & Counting

Susan Bernstein | February 2, 2017

ATLANTA—Despite a downpour outside, ACR and ARHP leaders enjoyed sunny news about the Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness (RISE) Registry at the on Jan. 21. RISE now includes data on more than 4 million patient encounters, and attendees were charged with thinking of ways to increase utilization of the registry and better use its valuable information….

UnitedHealthcare Delays Lab Program Implementation in Texas

Sean Fahey | January 30, 2017

As you probably know, the ACR is one of several organizations that has been advocating against the UnitedHealthcare (UHC) Laboratory Benefit Management Program, which was launched in Florida in 2014 and was due to expand to Texas on March 1. The program requires use of certain laboratories and online physician decision support for certain tests,…

Principles Would Streamline Prior Authorization Processes

Carol Patton | January 30, 2017

The ACR recently partnered with the American Medical Association (AMA) and a coalition of 16 other organizations representing physicians, medical groups, hospitals, pharmacists and patients to dramatically reshape prior-authorization protocols. The coalition is urging an industry-wide reassessment of these protocols to align with a newly created set of 21 principles, called the Prior Authorization and…

Rheumatology Coding Corner Answer: Coding for a Knee Injection

From the College | January 25, 2017

CPT: 20611-LT, J7325 X 1 ICD-9: 715.16—Osteoarthritis, localized, primary, lower leg ICD-10: M17.12—Unilateral primary osteoarthritis, left knee Note: When billing for 20611—Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection, major joint or bursa (e.g., shoulder, hip, knee, subacromial bursa), with permanent recording and reporting, there must be a permanent photograph of the needle placement in the patient’s medical chart….

Siting Your Rural Rheumatology Practice & Other Rural Rheum Concerns

Richard Quinn | January 20, 2017

Do you want to practice near a highway off-ramp or a supermarket? Where a rural rheumatology practice is located may be the key to success…

Rheumatology Coding Question: Deconstructing Evaluation and Management Codes

From the College | January 19, 2017

A 50-year-old male patient returns to the office for a follow-up visit for a diagnosis of generalized primary osteoarthritis of multiple sites. The patient tells the medical assistant that he is experiencing sharp throbbing pain in his left hip and right and left knees. He states the pain level is 6 out of 10 and…

Why Keep a Seat at the AMA Table?

Kelly Tyrrell | January 18, 2017

As 2017 unfolds—a year when MACRA begins, lawmakers take steps to dismantle the health reform efforts of the past eight years, and political uncertainty is the rule—it is imperative that the ACR leverage its advocacy agenda by maintaining its seat at the American Medical Association’s (AMA’s) House of Delegates (HOD), says Gary Bryant, MD, FACP…

Digital Healthcare Devices, Sensors Gaining Ground as Portable Personal Coaches

Thomas R. Collins | January 18, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C.—A friendly, but stern, voice talks to Joseph Kvedar, MD, vice president of Connected Health at Partners HealthCare, from his smartphone. Dr. Kvedar has just woken up. “Good morning, Joe! Here’s the tale of the tape. Your blood pressure and cholesterol are fine. Your sleep deficit is now up to three hours for the week….

Electronic Medical Records Have Mixed Impact on Quality, Quantity of Healthcare

David S. Knapp, MD, FACR | January 17, 2017

The widespread implementation of electronic medical records (EMRs) and electronic health records (EHRs) has significantly changed the quality and quantity of healthcare for both the better and the worse. The digitalization of medical records provides comprehensive documentation of all events and actions associated with an individual’s medical care. Likewise, legibility, accountability and credibility are greatly…