The 2008 ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting will offer multiple opportunities for attendees to increase their knowledge of rheumatic diseases. New educational programs and returning favorites will give attendees multiple chances to enhance their education and make good use of their time at the meeting.
Pseudogout
Pseudogout is a type of arthritis that, as the name implies, can cause symptoms similar to gout, but which are a reaction to a different type of crystal deposit. This type of arthritis may be one of the most misunderstood forms, and is often mistaken for gout and other conditions, including RA. Proper diagnosis is important because untreated pseudogout may lead to a severe form of joint degeneration and ongoing inflammation, resulting in chronic disability.
REF and AF Partner to Provide an Additional “Bridge Funding”
Fostering promising investigators is imperative to the future of rheumatology, so when the ACR Research and Education Foundation (REF) board of directors discovered that outstanding applicants were not being funded through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) K-series grant program (the NIH’s career development award program) due to budgetary constraints, the REF quickly called a meeting with the Arthritis Foundation (AF) and the NIH to discuss a solution.
Help Find a Cure for RA
The ACR REF established the Within Our Reach: Finding a Cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) campaign in 2006 with one goal in mind: to find a cure for RA.
Systematically Improve Practice Operations Performance
Imagine coming into your practice one morning to discover that your entire staff has quit. There are no two-week notices, no leaves of absence, and no one has stuck around to answer your questions—they all just walk out the door.
Coding Tip: When To Use 99211
Many rheumatology practices don’t know when to bill the nursing code 99211. Because of this confusion, some practices shy away from using it at all, and some overuse it.
Where Do RheumPAC Donations Go?
RheumPAC has been a standing committee of the ACR since 2007. The PAC was established to increase the ACR’s presence in Washington, D.C., and is charged with managing the contributions to congressional campaigns, as well as soliciting the membership for funds to increase the purse for these contributions.
Coding Corner Question
July’s Coding Challenge
Coding Corner Answer
July’s Coding Answer
Fibromyalgia Conundrum
Is scientific holism the answer?
Letters to the Editor
Feedback from our Readers
Learning From the Giants of Medicine
Medical training has become easier—but is that an improvement?
Drug Safety
What can the ACR do?
ACR Publishes New Guide for RA Care
Updated guidelines synthesize and formalize recommendations for DMARD use
Healthy Bones in Children
Recent research provides insight into this important area of public health
Th 17 Cells and Arthritis
The true story of how IL-17 became a focus for RA research