When I began my tenure as ACR president this past November, I posited that it “takes a village” to grow and succeed in rheumatology’s rapidly changing environment. The ACR village includes volunteers who represent a diverse leadership pipeline reflecting the demographics of our younger members. It also includes the international rheumatology community that accounts for…
Understanding how human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecule B27 promotes spondyloarthritis has intrigued researchers for four decades. Although the association between the single gene variant HLA-B27—specifically some of its subtypes—with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is particularly strong, how HLA-B27 directly influences disease development has not yet been clearly explained, although hypotheses continue to be generated….
We report a case of a 27-year-old woman who was initially diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), had features of scleroderma and was subsequently found to have lymph node biopsy consistent with multicentric Castleman disease (MCD). She also had serologic evidence of acute Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection (vs. reactivation of EBV). The occurrence of MCD…
When Abby Paterson, PhD, started her doctoral work in product design and technology at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom in 2009, she says 3D printing was little known by clinicians or the general public. Now, the technology is seemingly everywhere. For Dr. Paterson, the advancing science has led to a promising project focused on…
The mechanistic link between human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is one of the great enigmas in rheumatology. The introduction of biological therapies that target tumor necrosis factor (TNF) or the interleukin (IL) 23/IL-17A axis has had a major impact on the quality of life for many patients with AS, and one…
The benefits of exercise therapy for individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA) are well known. The ACR strongly recommends both aquatic exercise and land-based aerobic and resistance exercise for managing knee OA.1 A recent Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that high-quality evidence supports the use of exercise to reduce pain and improve physical function and…
CHICAGO—A lupus expert recently issued a call for action to improve outcomes of lupus clinical trials, a field that has had so many failed potential therapies that he said it seems to be “cursed.” Richard Furie, MD, chief of rheumatology at Northwell Health in New York, said at the ACR’s 2016 State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium that…
Baseball is a great sport. It’s fascinating to watch the evolving duel between pitcher and batter. As the former employs their remarkably powerful and versatile rotator cuff and forearm flexor muscles to hurl blazing pitches, the latter engages their exceptionally honed hand–eye neural link to make contact with the ball. Baseball is the ultimate summertime…
CHICAGO—Despite the complicated politics surrounding medical marijuana, cannabis has a wide variety of medical benefits and potential benefits, but the risks need to be understood, said Daniel Clauw, MD, director of the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center at the University of Michigan, in a session at the ACR’s 2016 State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium. Effects It’s…
Ethical issues that arise in the average rheumatology practice and in clinical research are often straightforward. The AMA Code of Medical Ethics and the Office Practice and Procedures Manual offer useful information.1 In research, the Protocol and Investigators Agreement spells out who you can enroll and how the trial must be conducted. But still—even when…
With the evolution and advancement of technology, it was only a matter of time before such changes affected the medical industry. Although the concept of telemedicine dates back more than 50 years, emphasis on cost-effective quality healthcare coupled with technological advancements has caused a resurgence of telemedicine in recent years. What constitutes telemedicine largely depends…
FDA Restricts Fluoroquinolone Use The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has twice previously communicated safety information about systemic fluoroquinolones—in August 2013 and July 2008. The safety issues of this medication class described in its latest Drug Safety Communication were also discussed at a November 2015 FDA Advisory Committee meeting.1 The FDA is now advising…
In February 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the final rule on Medicare Reporting and Returning of Self-Identified Overpayments. This final rule from CMS has now established official policy for timely reporting and returning of Medicare overpayments received by healthcare providers, with a goal to provide clear requirements for reporting and…
A 12-year-old male established patient with inflammatory bowel disease with associated juvenile spondyloarthropathy returns to the office for a follow-up visit for his infliximab infusion. The patient reports moderate pain in his right hip after walking for extended periods of time or after sports activities. He denies any other joint pain and denies any joint…
Take the challenge. CPT: 99214-25, 96413, 96415 x 1, J1745 x 35 ICD-10: M07.68, K51.80 Billing Overview It is appropriate to bill for an E/M visit for this day of service along with the infusion procedure. Modifier 25 should be appended to the E/M, indicating that the patient received a significant, separately identifiable E/M service…
The Rheumatology Research Foundation recently announced that it has awarded grants to 85 rheumatology trainees and professionals. The recipients, who range from medical students and residents to experienced investigators and rheumatologists, will receive funding for essential education and training, as well as innovative research projects. Their applications, which were submitted last year, were closely examined…
The year 2015 brought an end to the much-maligned Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), sometimes known as the “doc fix.” The SGR established limits on Medicare reimbursement for physicians, and each year, physicians and those lobbying on their behalf were forced to stave off drastic cuts to their payments. “The SGR was Congress’s attempt to control…
Half a century ago, Konrad Lorenz, the pioneering animal behavior expert, wrote that “Philosophers are people who know less and less about more and more, until they know nothing about everything. Scientists are people who know more and more about less and less, until they know everything about nothing.” As I start the last year…
Jonathan Coblyn, MD, was around 10 years old the first time his father took him fishing in April to Great South Bay, the largest shallow saltwater bay in New York. It was so cold that he remembers scraping frost off the lines that tied the family’s 26-foot motorboat to the pier. Dr. Coblyn, clinical chief…
HSS Holds First Rheumatology Gala The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City hosted a Rheumatology Gala in May. The event, held at The Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan, was held to increase awareness of HSS’s leading research and treatment of rheumatic diseases—particularly with “high-net worth people,” according to former ACR President Mary…