Practice Tools

This worksheet is created to assist participants gather important information prior to completing the Web survey. Please note: there is an academic section and a private practice/other section.

Find out what type of issues and solutions your neighboring rheumatologists are facing every day by subscribing to the ACR List Serves. This e-mail forum facilitates discussion between and among your peers, which allows the exchanging of ideas, knowledge and experiences from colleagues. There currently are ten practice advocacy list serves available. Subscribe today!

Find the 1999 Economic Survey of practices across the country. Members can download all or any part of this report.

This is the 2003 economic abridged version survey of practices across the country. Members can download all or any part of this report.

Whether you are looking for a new opportunity or searching for a candidate for employment in your practice, connect at the Career Connection. The ACR Career Connection service is free to job seekers searching for opportunities in the field of rheumatology. Employers can cost-effectively access a nationwide market of qualified rheumatology candidates. Either way, Career Connection is easy to use and offers a variety of tools and services for both the candidate and the employer.

This section contains classification criteria for rheumatic diseases, including childhood arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and many others.

Purchase one or more of our specialty-focused webcasts. This series is a convenient, cost-effective way to experience leading content from experts in the field.

Get to know who your Regional Advisors are for your state. In addition, discover how you can book one of our Certified Professional Coders for a coding presentation during your next state and local society meeting.

Need help with coding and billing?

In this section you will find tools and references to assist you with your practice, including:

• coding reference guides

• fee schedules

• Medicare Part D information

• claim processing tools

• CLIA certification information

• HIPAA information

• sample office forms

• template letters

This section contains notification of drug recalls and shortages. A link to the Food and Drug Administration and Safety Alerts is also provided.

Are you looking to implement electronic prescribing in your practice? Not sure if you are e-prescribing with your EMR? Do you want to take advantage of Medicare’s new e-prescribing incentive? Click here for more information on electronic prescribing in your practice.

Are you considering EHR implementation and want to know what systems fellow ACR members are currently using? Interested in connecting with other members to discuss their experience? Or are you just looking to connect with members who share the same system?

The ACR’s EHR Review site will allow you to research various EHR products that are currently being used and read the experiences of others who are using these EHR products.

Select the tabs above to access EHR member reviews and to connect to vendor sites. System reviews will be posted after three (3) completed surveys have been submitted for the EHR vendor. Posts will be regularly updated as reviews are submitted.

If you have previously submitted and would like to update your review, please email Itara Barnes at .

Do you have an EHR system?

Members currently using an EHR system are invited to post their experiences to be shared with others. Please follow this link to access our short questionnaire and submit your thoughts. Unless otherwise indicated within the questionnaire, all responses will be posted anonymously.

If you have experience with multiple systems, please feel free to access and submit the questionnaire once for each EHR system.

What features and functionalities would you like to see in your EHR system?

Tell us what features and functionalities you would like to see in order to make your EHR system more effective and efficient in rheumatology practice.

What barriers are preventing you from adopting an EHR?

Tell us what issues you are facing as today’s medical practice moves toward greater emphasis on health information technology.

Please feel free to e-mail any comments or questions about this service to Itara Barnes at .

The views expressed in EHR reviews are the views of the individuals who responded to the survey and do not necessarily reflect the views of the ACR.

The Hotline is produced by the Communications and Marketing Committee (CMC) of the ACR targeting the busy practicing clinician as a service to members. Topics for the ACR Hotlines come from various sources including issues in the media related to rheumatology, deliberations of regulatory agencies (e.g. the USA Food and Drug Administration), and new information from scientific meetings. The Hotlines reflect the views of the author(s) and does not represent position statements of the College. Topics are chosen by the CMC and the Hotline editors but members are also encouraged to submit hotline topics or volunteer to write a Hotline.

Trying to understand PQRI? We have information on getting started, measure specifications, data collection sheets, and much more.

Stay informed about the current practice issues that affect rheumatologists. Learn more about many different topics, such as NPI information or certain carrier changes that can affect how you run your practice.

The American College of Rheumatology has developed practice guidelines for the purposes of reducing inappropriate care, controlling geographic variations in practice patterns, and making effective use of health care resources. This section contains the current guidelines on rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and other topics that can be especially helpful to new rheumatologist starting a practice.

The position statements in this section relate to Access and Coverage, Research, Role of Rheumatology, and Treatment.

Download free patient education resources or direct your patients to this section to find more than 50 patient education pieces on rheumatic diseases, various medications, and other related topics. Briefing papers are also available to outline the role of many health professionals that may be medically necessary during the treatment process. Spanish versions of many patient education pieces are now available.

The ACR has developed an online clinical data management tool to help rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals comply with increased quality reporting requirements and improve the care they provide to patients. Click here to learn more about the RCR.