Iris W. Nichols

It is with great pleasure that I introduce all of our valued readers to Ethel Owen, the new Editor-in-Chief of Rheumatology Practice Management (RPM). I have known Ethel for many years and she has been instrumental in my growth as a rheumatology practice manager. Her qualifications make her a perfect choice for the Editor-in-Chief position. I look forward to serving on her editiorial board. Read Article ›

Xunzi, a Confucian philosopher born in 300 BC, is quoted as saying, “In order to properly understand the big picture, everyone should fear becoming mentally clouded and obsessed with one small section of truth.” Read Article ›

In just a few short months we will be in Louisville, KY, for our National Organization of Rheumatology Managers (NORM) conference, which is scheduled for September 12-13, 2014. Members of the NORM Board of Directors and various committees have spent innumerable hours throughout the year in planning and organizing the conference so it can meet our members’ expectations. Read Article ›

We are all aware of the many challenges and opportunities we face in rheumatology practices. As we see from the countless articles, news blurbs, and listserv postings, we all encounter similar things. We strive for quality improvement (our physicians are known to be leaders in this area), we have ongoing performance indicators that examine practice quality as well as costs, and we evaluate our practices by comparing them to yesterday, looking at how they exist today, and preparing them for tomorrow. I recently returned from a meeting where we discussed partnering together to meet these challenges. Read Article ›

Happy New Year. Every year around December 27 or 28 we start wishing everyone a happy new year. As we look into 2014, we are trying to determine just exactly what a “happy new year” means when we manage our business of delivering healthcare services. Read Article ›

After months of preparation, the National Organization of Rheu­matology Managers (NORM) 8th Annual Conference was held the weekend of September 13-14, 2013, in Long Beach, CA. Read Article ›

It is an exciting time for rheumatology practice managers when the National Organiza­tion of Rheumatology Managers (NORM) and Engage Healthcare Communications, LLC, begin a partnership to launch a publication designed exclusively for those of us who are responsible for running a rheumatology practice. Read Article ›