Focus Rheums| Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? (video)

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Training Is the Path for Documentation & Coding Improvement

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Join us for the Rheumatology Documentation and Coding Workshop taking place during the 2019 State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium, Friday, April 5 in Chicago. The Rheumatology Documentation and Coding Workshop will take a deep dive into the new Medicare coding and documentation requirements for evaluation and management coding, medical decision making and specificity in diagnosis coding. Due…

These Digital Tools Aren’t Just Hype, Can Actually Help Rheumatologists

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CHICAGO—Every minute, it seems, a new digital tool is introduced in medicine. Whether it’s a new digital measuring stick, a new data-crunching system or a new app, the tech tools form an endless convoy of options. But are they worth it? Will they really help you do your job better? Will they help patients feel…

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7 Insights into Methotrexate Administration, Drug Resistance & Toxicity

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CHICAGO—Once methotrexate enters a cell through the reduced folate carrier (RFC), which thinks it is picking up folate, the drug is polyglutamated. It is this polyglutamate methotrexate that provides the actual clinical effect. These methotrexate polyglutamate “species” are added and lost over time, but it’s a slow process. What difference does it make whether a…

The Tortured Path to the Cortisone Discovery

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CHICAGO—The path to the discovery of cortisone—a top-selling, important drug, with dozens of indications—was complicated by failure, false moves, desperation and obsession. The tale, recounted in the Philip Hench, MD, Memorial Lecture: Crossroads of History & Hope: Discovery & First Use of Cortisone for RA at the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in October, is an…

These 3 Tough Cases from the 2018 Thieves Market Underscore Need for Clinical Diligence

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CHICAGO—In the Thieves Market session at the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, rheumatologists from around the country presented a slate of challenging cases that emphasized the importance of clinical persistence and attention to detail, and the need to consider diagnoses that might not be common or obvious. Three of them are summarized below. (Look for more…

From Kolkata to Chicago: The ACR-IRA International Exchange Program

Debanjali Sinha, MD  |  

The ACR–Indian Rheumatology Association (IRA) International Fellows Exchange Program was developed in 2016 to foster scientific collaboration between members of the ACR and junior rheumatologists representing the IRA. I was lucky enough to be selected to participate in this exchange initiative, and I can’t thank these two organizations enough for working together to provide this…

Cancer-Associated Myositis: A Case Report & Review of the Literature

Cancer-Associated Myositis: A Case Report & Review of the Literature

Osman Bhatty, MD, Rouhin Sen, MD, & Joseph Nahas, MD  |  

Since it was first reported in 1916, a correlation between inflammatory myopathies and cancer has been noted in several studies. Population studies have confirmed this relationship, and the phrase cancer-associated myopathy has entered the vernacular. Over the past decade, research efforts have shifted toward revealing associations between autoantibodies and clinical phenotypes. One subset of auto-antigens…

Lead Effectively: Leaders Are Made, not Born

Paula Marchetta, MD, MBA  |  

Every year at the end of January, ACR and ARP volunteers gather in Atlanta to learn more about a subject we seldom are taught in any formal way in our professional training: leadership. The 2019 Leadership Development Conference took place on Saturday, Jan. 26 and offered participants a unique opportunity to step away from their…

Update & Changes to the OIG Work Plan

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Early last fall, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its OIG Work Plan for fiscal year 2018–2019, which is a two-year framework for the audits, inspections, evaluations and investigative activities planned in support of its vision, mission, and strategic goals and objectives to maintain HHS program integrity….