Practice Support

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

Rheumatology Community Applauds CMS Guidance Providing ICD-10 “Safe Harbor” Period, Encourages Further Action to Ensure Responsible Transition

American College of Rheumatology | July 7, 2015

ATLANTA, Ga.—The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) today praised the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for issuing new guidance to provide a 12-month “safe harbor” period for physicians following the Oct. 1 implementation of the ICD-10 code set. The ACR has led legislative and grassroots efforts to responsibly address the transition to the…

Online Tools Can Help Manage Pain

Lisa Rapaport | June 26, 2015

(Reuters Health)—People with chronic pain may be able to use online tools to manage their symptoms, lessening the need for frequent doctor visits, an Australian study suggests. Researchers tested a series of web-based pain management tutorials on a group of adults who had been suffering symptoms for more than six months. Regardless of how much…

Proposed Medicaid Rule May Benefit Rheumatologists

Richard Quinn | June 21, 2015

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is attempting to update the reimbursement process for Medicaid, which might relieve administrative burdens on specialists and improve access to services.

HIV Infection: What Rheumatologists Need to Know

Leonard H. Calabrese, DO, & Elizabeth Kirchner, MSN, CNP | June 15, 2015

It has been nearly 35 years since the original descriptions of what now is recognized as AIDS (the acquired immune deficiency syndrome), an advanced form of infection secondary to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The epidemic of HIV infection remains the singular most dramatic epidemic of our generation and will likely remain with us for…

Eosinophilia: A Diagnostic Evaluation Guide for Rheumatologists

Praveen Akuthota, MD, Aryeh Fischer, MD, & Michael E. Wechsler, MD | June 15, 2015

Clinical Vignette A 45-year-old woman with long-standing asthma and chronic sinusitis has new-onset peripheral neuropathy, arthralgias, fatigue, progressive dyspnea and a nonproductive cough. She has never smoked and has no environmental exposures. Her medications include an albuterol metered-dose inhaler (which she uses daily); an inhaled corticosteroid, montelukast; and ibuprofen (which she takes occasionally). She is…

Rheumatoid Arthritis Practice Performance Project Spots Problems in RA Management

Erin Arnold, MD, William Arnold, MD, Douglas Conaway, MD, Gary Crump, MD, Edmund LaCour, MD, James Mossell, DO, Glen Parris, MD, Kathleen Thomas, DO, David Sikes, MD, Anne Winkler, MD, PhD, MACP, Timothy Harrington, MD, & James Bower, MPA | June 15, 2015

Rheumatologists have growing concerns about how we manage rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the disease outcomes we are achieving.1 Over the past two years, clinician rheumatologists have begun working together to address these problems through the Rheumatoid Arthritis Practice Performance (RAPP) Project, a nationwide clinical quality-improvement initiative. The RAPP Project has now grown to 168 participants…

Rheumatology Coding Corner Question: Trigger-Point Injections for Fibromyalgia

From the College | June 15, 2015

A 65-year-old established female patient returns to the office for a follow-up visit for her diagnosis of fibromyalgia. She complains of pain, stiffness and swelling in her left hand, elbow and neck that is persistent since her last visit. The pain is considerably worse in the morning. She denies any fevers, cough or dyspnea. The…

Rheumatology Coding Corner Answer: Trigger Point Injections for Fibromyalgia

From the College | June 15, 2015

Take the challenge. CPT codes: 99213-25, 20553, 73120/LT Diagnosis: ICD-9 7291 ICD-10 M79.7 Coding for trigger-point injections continues to create a lot of confusion on proper coding guidelines. Keep in mind, two CPT4 codes can be used for trigger-point procedures: 20552—Injection(s); single or multiple trigger point(s), one or two muscle(s); and 20553—Single or multiple trigger…

2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting to Offer Coding, Practice Management Sessions

From the College | June 15, 2015

At this year’s ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Francisco, you can take advantage of a variety of sessions designed to address pressing concerns in practice management today. Practice managers, clinicians, office staff and others will enjoy and benefit from hands-on practical sessions and informative panel discussions by top content experts in the field. Here are…

How Rheumatologists Can Mobilize Patients as Advocates, Activists

Christopher D. Adams, MD | June 15, 2015

Editor’s note: This is the first installment of a two-part series showing how a busy office-based practice can incorporate patient advocacy into its standard workflow. Part 1 outlines the reasons for advocacy and the benefits to both patients and doctors, then gives a quick-start outline to get you started. Part 2 will amplify the concepts…