Ultrasound Needle Guidance in Rheumatology: Advances, Applications and Clinical Pearls

This article enumerates the benefits and applications of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound and details procedural guidance for join and soft tissue injections and aspirations.  Dr. Goyal also explains that ultrasound technology has been shown to be 6.5 times more sensitive than x-rays for early, accurate diagnosis of small bone erosions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.  He argues that point of care US can significantly reduce medical errors and offer efficient real-time diagnosis.   US can replace or supplement more expensive imaging technologies such as CT in appropriate clinical scenarios.

Ultrasound First -- Musculoskeletal Imaging (MSK)

Clinical evidence and research supports using ultrasound as the first diagnostic test for numerous musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. Diagnostic ultrasound offers a number of important advantages compared to computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in terms of safety and effectiveness. Diagnostic ultrasound is noninvasive and offers real-time imaging, allowing for examinations of structures at rest and in motion.

Diagnostic Shoulder Ultrasound: The Results Are In

In this article for Becker's Orthopedic Review, Dr. Don A. Buford explains both the clinical evidence and benefits for the use of diagnostic ultrasound for shoulder evaluation. In particular, evidence for the use of ultrasound as the first imaging study in cases of suspected rotator cuff tear. Dr. Buford, an orthopedic surgeon, also covers the benefits of ultrasound to patients, his clinical practice and the costs to the healthcare system. As the healthcare system moves toward both Appropriate Use Criteria for imaging and lower costs, this article explains why it is time to implement such practices.

Flip The Funnel For Increased Physician Efficiency and Improved Patient Satisfaction

The emerging healthcare environment requires expanded patient access while minimizing the cost of care. This is of particular importance for accountable care organizations that are assuming significant risk and must develop more innovative ways to deliver care to drive better outcomes and wring out inefficiencies. Our practice has experienced this struggle on a daily basis as patients, who needed a surgical consult, were frustrated with limited access. Our clinical schedule was filled with non-surgical candidates. This created a paradox where the most specialized health system resources (e.g., surgeon and MRI) were being allocated to a continuum of care that did not result in better care or outcomes, while also increasing physician and patient frustration. The long-standing dilemma was that the wrong patient was often in the wrong clinic leading to an inefficient and circuitous path for the delivery of appropriate care. When evaluating our practice it was clear that we could improve our allocation of available resources with the outcome being happy patients and happy physicians within a healthcare system that was delivering high quality, low cost, appropriate care.

Subscribe to MSK