Frequently Asked Questions

You can expect to have a comprehensive evaluation of your symptoms and a detailed discussion regarding the next steps, whether it is continued treatments with rheumatology clinic, or a recommendation to follow back with your referring / primary care provider.

It is very helpful to bring any relevant lab or other tests, prior provider notes to your appointment. Please make a list of your symptoms and course through time. Please also make a list of your questions so you don’t forget to ask anything important.

New patient appointment are for 40 minutes, but may take less or more time depending on various factors. Your arrival at check in time will allow us time to process your paperwork and ensure you are ready on time for your appointment. Checking in late, at best, takes precious time away from your allotted time; and at worst, might result in you being rescheduled.

Our office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The office is not closed for lunch.

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 9-1-1 or go to the closest Hospital Emergency Department. To page the on-call physician after hours for urgent matters, please call the main number at (503) 297-3384 and follow the prompts. After you leave your message, the physician will be paged.

Absolutely, however if your guest is late they will be asked not to interrupt your appointment with the physician and will be asked to wait until your appointment has been completed.

Yes. However we find that the appointment process generally goes more smoothly without the distraction of children present.

Please complete the attached request form to release your medical information and either –

• fax it to 503-297-0863, or
• mail it to 9555 SW Barnes rd suite 150 Portland OR 97225, or
• send it via patient portal.

Please be sure to include medical records recipient’s contact information and feel free to contact our medical records team for any concerns or questions at 503-206-3053.

If you are an established patient, please reach out to our office so that we can confirm your e-mail and send you an invitation to sign up for your patient portal.

If you are a new patient, you will receive an email invitation at your first appointment.

Yes. You should get the new covid booster when available.

Please see our insurance list.  If you don’t see your insurance carrier on the list, call for more information.

Copay is collected at the time of the visit. 

No routine prescriptions will be available for refill until Monday morning.  Please check your supply before the weekend.

Yes. For most infections, especially if you have a fever, you may need to hold your immunosuppressive medications, except Hydroxychloroquine. In general you would need to hold Methotrexate, Sulfasalazine, Leflunomide, Azathioprine, Mycophenolate, Xeljanz, Rinvoq, Olumiant, and any biologics/ infusion medications.

Please check and confirm with the office by calling or emailing your provider on your patient portal.

Yes. You will need to hold medications for most major surgeries to allow for proper wound healing. Similarly, schedule surgery at an appropriate interval from the infusion of an immunosuppressive medication, and allow a few weeks of healing before scheduling your next infusion.

Please check with clinic regarding your specific medication.

Infusion times vary depending on the medication. It can take anywhere from 30 mins to 4 hours, plus time taken to check in, place an intravenous line. Please allow sufficient time to allow our team to treat you with kindness and care, without rushing through the process.

We appreciate you attempting to complete the pre check-in questions before your appointment. If the system has timed out or you have been unable to successfully complete the check-in online, please plan to arrive 20 minutes (new patients) or 10 minutes (established patients) before your appointment time to allow this to be completed in office.

Please contact the office to confirm that we have your contact information correct in our system.

There can be many symptoms of autoimmune diseases. If you have a persistent or unexplained symptom such as rash, joint pain or swelling, joint deformity, muscle weakness, a lung problem etc., which has not been explained by your or other physicians you may need to consult with a rheumatologist. In general, for arthritis, if your joint pain or swelling persists for more than a few days you should see your physician. Your physician will then determine if your symptoms are concerning for an autoimmune / rheumatic disease and will refer you to a rheumatologist.

You may be surprised to learn that specialized care may save time and money and reduce the severity of the disease. A rheumatologist has special training to spot clues in the history and physical exam. The proper tests done early may save money in the long run. Prompt diagnosis and specially tailored treatment often save money and minimize the long-term effects of rheumatic diseases.

The FDA defines a biosimilar as “a type of biological product that is licensed by the FDA because it is highly similar to an already FDA-approved biological product (the reference product) and has been shown to have no clinical differences from the reference product. The key consideration is that biosimilars are similar, but not identical, to their reference product. This article Table summarizes this topic in great detail. 

We recommend you get all vaccinations appropriate for your age and demographics. Please consult with your primary care physician for routine adult vaccinations recommended in the United States. 

In particular, for our immunocompromised patients, we strongly recommend the latest versions available of annual flu vaccine, pneumonia vaccine (Prevnar 20), shingles vaccine  (Shingrix) and COVID vaccine.