You worked hard your entire life to build your medical practice, and now you’re ready to enjoy retirement. Regardless of whether you choose to sell your practice or gradually wind it down over a period of time, you must take certain legal steps before you can leave. Deciding to Retire & Making a Plan Once…
To practice rheumatology, you’ve got to love a challenge and be prepared to navigate some twists and turns before arriving at the right diagnosis. Rheumatologist and avid kayaker William Truslow, MD, says the same qualities apply to running rivers. “The toughest part is the mental attitude—feeling that I can do this,” says Dr. Truslow, a…
Nancy Baker, ScD, Completes Sabbatical Year at CDC Nancy Baker, ScD, MPH, OTR/L, associate professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh, recently completed a yearlong sabbatical as a researcher at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Division of Population Health. Her mentor at the CDC, Kristina Theis, MPH,…
When deciding where to locate a rheumatology practice, you need to do your homework. There are many factors to ponder, including accessibility, population demographics, competition, need, costs and whether a building meets your needs. First and foremost, it’s important that patients can easily get to and find your practice. Randy Eigen, first vice president, CBRE…
As a physician, you need to focus on your patients’ needs. As someone who owns or manages a rheumatology practice, you need to focus on your business’s needs. “This can feel like you’re not only wearing two different hats, but that you also have to be two different people,” says Virginia Fraser, global content specialist,…
One month has passed since the U.S. healthcare system overcame a historical milestone with the conversion from billing ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM. Although the transition to ICD-10 had a major impact on coding operations, its far-reaching tentacles go beyond coding alone and are deeply rooted in the entire revenue cycle. There is room to criticize the…
CPT: 99213, 73500-RT, 73500-LT ICD-10: M16.52 This E/M service entailed: The history is detailed; The examination is expanded problem focused; and The medical decision making is of low complexity. The X-ray reviewed was for radiologic examination, hip, unilateral: one view for the left hip and for the right hip. M16.52—The diagnosis identifies unilateral post-traumatic osteoarthritis…
Post-Traumatic OA A 70-year-old female patient comes in for a follow-up visit for pain and stiffness in her left hip. She injured her hip in a skiing accident three years before and reports the X-rays at that time showed no fractures. Due to no obvious fracture at the time, she was given ibuprofen and advised…
“Do you seriously want me to stand on my tiptoes?” my gruff 68-year-old patient at the VA Rheumatology Clinic asked, incredulous. “I came with a walker. I think you very well know, doc, that if I get on my tippy-toes, then I’m going to fall flat on my face.” He had a point, one that…
For the past 30 years, the Rheumatology Research Foundation has been an invaluable resource for investigators looking to further their careers and expand essential research into rheumatic diseases. Among the Foundation’s many award recipients is Robert Plenge, MD, PhD. In 2008, Dr. Plenge received a grant from the Foundation to pursue finding a genetic basis…