Thank you for considering Dr. Joan Calkins as your child’s Rheumatologist.
She has over 30 years’ experience treating children with Rheumatologic issues as well as other complex medical concerns your child may be faced with.
Dr. Calkins has found that the best road to successfully treating children with these medical issues is through a team approach with your child’s Primary Care Provider(PCP) and any other specialist that may be involved.
Step 1: Begin a consultation.
You must have a referral(letter) from your PCP stating why he/she is requesting Dr. Calkins to see you child
Step 2: Required Documents.
We require access to all medical records related to your child’s medical condition, including any relevant office visit notes, labs conducted, x-rays performed along with any consults from other specialists that are or have been involved with your child’s care. You will also need to fill out our New Rheumatology Patient forms.
Step 3: What comes next.
Dr. Calkins will review all of these records and recommend the best course of action to pursue. This could be as simple as scheduling your child’s first appointment with her office. However, Dr. Calkins may require additional specialized labs to be ordered by your child’s PCP or an appointment with another specialist to rule out some specific concerns.
Insurances & Referrals
As with any specialist, your insurance company may require a referral to see us and any other specialist we might recommend that your child see.
You, in conjunction with your PCP, are responsible for securing these referrals and keeping them up to date. It is your responsibility to understand the rules of your insurance company and provide the appropriate referrals when needed as they will expire. Please contact your Primary Care Provider for assistance.
What to Expect
Your child’s initial appointment will most likely take up to an hour with a possible follow-up appointment within the next couple of weeks. Following each visit with Dr. Calkins, she will send a letter informing the primary of the visit and a brief synopsis of what occurred together with future plans for your child’s treatment.
Labs are an extremely important element of Dr Calkins’ management plan for your child, if you are given a script for labs, or any other testing, it is your responsibility to ensure that they are completed with enough time to review the results prior to the next scheduled appointment.
Dr. Calkins will only begin a relationship with patients that have not reached the age of 18. An established patient reaching that age or when we have stabilized their situation, we will advise you to seek care with an Adult Rheumatologist.
