Prescription Opioid Use Falls While Abuse Rises

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From 2003 to 2013, the percentage of nonmedical use of prescription opioids decreased among adults in the U.S., while the prevalence of prescription opioid use disorders, frequency of use, and related deaths increased, according to a study in the October 13 issue of JAMA.

Is DLCO Predictive in Rheumatoid Interstitial Lung Disease?

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Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a common extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Its presence may portend grave outcomes for those affected. The prevalence of ILD in RA ranges from 7.7% to 44% depending on the assessment tools used.

Optimizing Treat-to-Target in RA

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Treat-to-target is a common management strategy for rheumatoid arthritis that aims to employ the strategy most effective in terms of achievement of optimal therapeutic outcomes in RA.

Healthcare Consumer Engagement Increasing

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Deloitte published its 2015 Healthcare Consumer Survey to examine online resource and technology use by patients. This is important, as the health care industry has expanded the development of online information resources, mobile applications, and personal health devices.

Hip Fractures Increased in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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An analysis of 741,589 patients over age 45 years from southern Swedish registry examined patients who were followed (between 1998 and 2012) until a hip fracture, death or exit from the region occurred.

Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage in Lupus Reviewed

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Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a rare but catastrophic complication of systemic lupus erythematosus. Presentations are usually acute and the potential for significant morbidity and mortality risk mandates early diagnosis and aggressive interventions.

Strange ICD-10 Codes

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The range of categories and diagnostic possibilities is astronomical with the new ICD-10 and its 68,000 codes.

TICOPA Study: Tight Control in Psoriatic Arthritis

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Tight control in rheumatoid arthritis was introduced with the TICORA trial and validated in numerous treat-to-target studies since. Now the benefits of tight control in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have been reported.

Health Hazards of Fructose and Soda

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The health consequences of fructose-containing sugars, sucrose and high fructose corn syrup, found in sugar-sweetened beverages and foods, may be numerous and include obesity, type 2 diabetes, gout and cardiovascular disease.

ICD-10: Preparing for the Next Y2K

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ICD-10 starts tomorrow, October 1st. Your Coding memory will have to increase 5-fold or more as we go from 16,000 to 68,000 new ICD-10 codes. How this will affect each of us remains to be seen. There’s a lot to learn, and many wonder if this will be the next “Y2K”.

DSB: Drug Shortages - September 2015

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RheumNow is committed to reporting safety issues in our monthly Drug Safety Bulletins. Each month we will update you with reports of new, ongoing and resolved Drug Shortages that will affect the practicing rheumatologist.

High Sodium Intake Linked to Risk of RA

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Diet has long been considered a potential risk factor for the onset or pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthris. Obesity and the microbiome are being intensively studied as risk factors for RA.

ACR/SPARTAN 2015 Recommendations for Ankylosing Spondylitis and Non-Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis

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The ACR and SPARTAN (Spondyloarthritis Research and Treatment Network) has worked together to study 57 specific treatment questions regarding AS and SpA.  The following guidelines have recently been published after conducting systematic literature reviews.

ICD-10 Tips for Procrastinators

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On October 1st, your coding memory will be getting a big and unwelcomed upgrade.

Even if the goverment shuts down, ICD-10 implementation goes forward.

Below are several sources to review what's ahead and what you should be focused on at this point.

The Deadly Truth behind Paxil’s Study 329

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Study 329 was published in 2001, and became a pivotal study for the anti-depressant drug Paxil (paroxetine). In 2002, over 2 million prescriptions were written for Paxil.

Medical Societies to CMS: Not Ready for Stage 3 Meaningful Use

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Dozens of medical societies pressed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to temporarily halt implementation of the final stage of Meaningful Use, a program that rewards and penalizes clinicians based on how effectively they use electronic medical records.

Only 1 in 5 Seek Treatment for Raynaud's

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October is Raynaud's Awareness Month according to the Raynaud's Association (http://www.raynauds.org), and a whopping 80 percent of sufferers are not aware they have the disorder and do not seek treatment.

Increasing Numbers of Knee Replacements

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Knee replacement surgery is on the rise, and so is the cost.

Answering Patient Emails

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A recent article by Dr. Joseph Eastern of the Pediatric News Network addressed an issue that confronts all practitioners - how do you handle email from patients?

Fibromyalgia Prevalence & Characteristics

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PLOS has reported the results of the 2012 US National Health Interview Survey that focuses on fibromyalgia.