Frequently Asked Questions
Scheduling & Referrals:
Please keep your rheumatology follow-up appointments as scheduled. If you need to cancel or reschedule, call our office so we can help ensure your follow-up remains consistent with your provider’s recommendations. Complete any ordered laboratory tests at least one week before your appointment so your provider can review the results during your visit and safely monitor your medications.
If you are returning to our practice after three years or more, you will be considered a patient re-establishing care. A new referral from another health care provider and your most recent visit note are required before scheduling. This helps our providers understand any changes in your medical history, diagnoses, medications, laboratory results, imaging, and care received since your last visit with our practice.
We require a referral from another health care provider for all new patients; self-referrals are not accepted, even if insurance does not require a referral. This policy helps ensure that the reason for consultation is appropriate for rheumatology and that our providers receive the clinical information needed to review the referral. Due to the high demand for rheumatology consultations, our practice prioritizes patients with a higher likelihood of an inflammatory or autoimmune rheumatologic condition.
We require a referral from another health care provider for all new patients; self-referrals are not accepted, even if insurance does not require a referral. Referrals must include the reason for referral, the two most recent visit notes, relevant labs and imaging, patient demographics, and insurance information. Our referral coordinator and provider will review complete referrals to determine whether the concern is within the scope of rheumatology. If accepted, the patient will be contacted to schedule. New patients must provide at least 48 hours’ notice to cancel so the appointment can be offered to another patient.
General:
We do not have direct access to My UNC Chart or Duke MyChart. For established patients, our medical records system may allow us to view certain records from outside health systems, such as Duke, UNC, or WakeMed; however, availability is not guaranteed and may be limited. We are unable to access outside records through this system for new patients. Please have your relevant records sent to our office before your appointment to ensure your provider has the information needed for your care.
All patients who are text enabled receive text messages/phone calls to confirm as well as Healow e-check in text reminder to check-in prior to all appointments. You will have the ability to update your medical history, medications, and sign consent forms electronically. It will save time during check-in to complete these ahead of time. Please make sure NOT to Opt out from those text messages.
Our patient portal is a secure, convenient way to manage routine parts of your care. You may access the portal through our website or by using the Healow app with practice code JDCCBA.
Please use the portal for routine, non-urgent needs only, such as:
Reviewing laboratory results, medications, medical records, and visit information. Requesting prescription refills. Requesting, confirming, or managing appointments. Completing forms and check-in tasks. Viewing statements and making payments. Sending non-urgent questions to our office
Please complete the linked medical records release request form to release your medical information and either –
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Fax it to (919) 851 1900, or
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Mail it to 1720 NW Maynard Rd, Cary NC 27513
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 (919) 344 0180 (ext#1)
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It’s important to understand that – especially in rheumatology – a positive test does NOT equal a diagnosis. Depending on your specific situation, you may or may not have autoimmune rheumatological condition. Many times a common screening test can be false positive. It requires more than lab work to confirm the condition.
We ask that all follow up patients of Cary Rheumatology arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled time in order to update any information that may be needed. Please bring a list of updated medicines. Co-payment will be collected during check-in for each visit.. At Cary Rheumatology, we will do our very best to accommodate you if you are late to your appointment. We ask that you call if you know you are going to be late. If you are more than 10 minutes late to check in for your appointment, we may ask to reschedule your visit. This helps us serve our patients with the utmost respect for everyone’s time.
We are not specialized in the process of disability determination. Therefore, we do not perform these evaluations nor complete forms related to disability determination. We will provide medical records to state or private entities that perform disability determination with proper consent.
Common Clinical Questions:
Please contact your pharmacy to issue an electronic request for medication refills. Refills will be discussed at each office visit as well. Please allow 2 business days to authorize a refill, possibly longer if your medication requires review of labs needed for monitoring. Refills will not be processed over weekends or holidays, so please plan accordingly. Refills of specialty medications may require longer time as some Speciality medications require Prior Authorization from insurance company. It is patient's responsibility to call our office to inform our staff when there is a change in the insurance poicy. If you are requesting that a medication is sent to a pharmacy other than your preferred pharmacy on file in your medical record, this may result in delays. Please be sure to indicate the appropriate pharmacy at each visit. Pharmacy coverage is often preferred by health insurance benefits and it will be the patient’s responsibility to know what pharmacy is in-network for their insurance.
Refills will be provided only if you are following up with our practice/providers as scheduled and having labwork done on time as recommended by our providers as per medical guidelines. Otherwise refills for any rheumatology medication can not be provided (both are equally important and required for all patients).
Many of the medications prescribed to treat rheumatologic diseases can cause significant side effects, including low blood counts, or kidney and liver problems. These types of side effects can develop without any symptoms, even in patients who have been on the same medications for years.
In order to be sure that it is safe for you to continue your medications, we must check your lab work at regular intervals. Actively treating your rheumatic disease is very important.
Labs are checked routinely to make sure your can tolerate the medication being prescribed to you. Labs are due at set intervals for different medications, as recommended by the provider.
Please set a reminder on your calendar. Lab or your provider will not call you to remind you.
The lab orders are electronically sent to the lab at the time of visit, you can call and confirm with the lab to see if that have received the order prior to going to the lab.
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 (919) 344 0180.
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 immunosuppressive medication, and allow a few weeks of healing before scheduling your next infusion. Please check with the clinic regarding your specific medication.
Please call our office first to make sure there is no contraindication or reason not to take prednisone.
Hold all your immunosuppressive medicine ( except Plaquenil/hydroxychloroquine) until your infections have resolved. If you have COVID or symptoms of COVID then do not take immunosuppressive meds for 2 weeks. Call your PCP or Urgent care if you have symptoms of infection and get treated for infection. Also call and cancel upcoming infusions or in office injections.
No you do not need to. If you get sick or have the same symptoms then see PCP and then hold our meds till you feel better from infection and Antibiotic course is complete.
After first infusion, it can be normal. But if you have any other symptoms let us know. If there are any life treatening symptoms at home after infusion then call 911 and go to the nearest ER and then inform our office also.
Insurance:
Cary Rheumatology accepts following major insurance carriers as listed below. For any coverage related questions please contact our office or call your insurance for more details. It is patient’s responsibility to get more details from the respective insurance for a detailed coverage for specialist office. Whenever there is a change in the Insurance policy, it is the patient's responsibility to inform our office to ensure we are in network with the new plan and to mail/bring a copy of the most recent policy card. We are not a participating provider for any Duke Select plans. We are out of network with Medicaid. New to medicare: Click Here!
We are in network with all UHC plans except for UHC Community Plan. Some UHC plan may require separate Referral approval from UHC, refer to your card for details.
We are in network with all Aetna plans except Aetna CVS Healthcare plan.
We are in network with all BCBS plans except (High Performance Network plan).
We are in network with all Cigna plans except Cigna Connect plan.