Northwest Rheumatology Specialists

APPOINTMENT Information

What to bring to your visit

Your current insurance card.
Photo I.D.
Co-payment (cash or check only)
Payment is expected at the time of service, unless other arrangements are made in advance. Cash or check only please.
Referral (You should contact the referring physician several days prior to your visit to allow for processing.)
Medication List
Recent Test Results

Scheduling for either office:

New patients CLICK HERE to request your first appointment!

Current patients CLICK HERE to create your patient portal account and schedule an appointment!

Our office calls to confirm all new patient appointments. If we leave a message, we do need to hear back from you confirming that you will be keeping the appointment. If we do not hear back from you we will need to reschedule your appointment. Our new patients include those in pain, and it is important that all of these longer timeslots remain filled to ensure no one is waiting needlessly.

You may ask to be included on our cancellation list. If an appointment slot opens we would be happy to call to move up your appointment. Please provide the best numbers to reach you.

As a courtesy to other patients, please call to cancel any appointments that you are unable to keep. Our office asks for at least 24-48 hours notice for cancellations. This allows us to schedule other patients who may have need of our services.

Our physicians do not “share” patients. Once you have established with a physician, you will continue to see that doctor only for office visits. In the event that your physician is out of the office, the covering rheumatologist will treat any emergent needs only until your physician returns.

MEDICATION REFILLS

Refills should be directed to your pharmacy. The pharmacist should e-scribe the request to your physician. Please allow 24-48 business hours for medication refills.

For the safety of the patient, it is important to have your lab work done as prescribed and keep your scheduled appointments. Some medications prescribed at our office are powerful and require monitoring to limit any risk of side effects. Refills of your medications can, and will, be denied for lack of compliance. Please become familiar with any possible side effects and alert our office immediately if any symptoms appear.

It is also important to notify your physician if you develop any signs of infection during the course of your treatment. Some of your medications may have to be stopped during periods of viral or bacterial infections, or prior to surgery.

INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

Please become familiar with your insurance requirements. Many insurance companies have preferred sites for lab, x-ray, MRI, CT, physical therapy, etc. Your insurance company may deny payment if the patient does not use a preferred site for testing. The patient is responsible to know these requirements.

During the course of your treatment, it is imperative to update our office immediately if any insurance changes occur. Some of our treatments require prior authorization from insurance companies, and treatment can, and will be delayed if the authorization is delayed. Some authorizations can take several weeks to be approved if your insurance company requires your chart notes for review. This is especially important for I.V. infusion patients.

Insurance plans

Aetna
Beechstreet
Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO (HMO IL)
-Advocate Good Shepherd IPA #331
-Medical Care Group IPA #240
Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO
Cigna
Cofinity
Great West Open Access
Great West PPO
Healthlink
HFN
Humana
Medicare
Medicare Blue Advantage HMO
Multiplan
PHCS
Unicare
United Health Care

Please contact your insurance company to verify that we are contracted with your specific group plan.

We do not participate in any Medicare Replacement HMOs, except for Medicare Blue Advantage HMO, through Advocate, Good Shepherd IPA