Rheumatology Clinic

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Children, youth and families Healthcare providers

About the Rheumatology clinic

We are a team of health-care professionals working together to help children with rheumatic conditions live their best life. We are dedicated to providing family-centred care with a team approach. We always strive to enhance the care we provide. Our team is a leader in rheumatology research and education.

We provide care for patients with:

inflammatory arthritis including juvenile arthritis (JIA)
systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases
vasculitis
autoinflammatory conditions

About our team

Our team includes physicians (pediatric rheumatologists), registered nurses, a physiotherapist, a social worker and an administrative coordinator.

Information for children, youth and families

Preparing for your appointment

Please sign up for a MyChart account, before your first visit.

Please arrive at least 15 minutes before your appointment to allow for check-in at the clinic.

It is very important to bring the following to the appointment:

Shorts and t-shirt for your child to wear during their examination

Immunization record

List of any medication your child is taking

Please also remove nail polish prior to the appointment

What to expect during your appointment

When you arrive, please check-in at the reception desk. The Clerk will register you in the electronic system so that your team will know that you have arrived.

The initial assessment will take approximately one hour, and follow-up appointments take approximately thirty minutes.

As CHEO is a teaching hospital, you may meet several people during your visit. We train doctors, nurses and other health care professionals in our rheumatology clinic.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I get my prescriptions refilled?

Please plan and request medication refills five or more business days before your medication runs out.

Your pharmacy can fax us a medical refill request to 613-738-4297.

How can I make an appointment?

All patients must be referred.

Wait times vary based on urgency and demand. Once we have an appointment spot to offer, our Scheduling Team will call you to schedule an appointment.

If something changes and you need to reschedule your appointment, please let us know at least 48-72 hours in advance by calling 613-737-7600 x 2222.

No-shows or frequent cancellations may result in discharge from the service.

Who should I contact if I have questions?

For any emergency, call 911. This includes emergencies involving your child’s Rheumatology-related concerns.

For patients who are being followed by the Rheumatology Clinic:

For patients who have seen a CHEO Rheumatology Provider, call your Nurse Case Manager or send a direct message to them through MyChart. This is not for urgent calls. Our nurses are here to give support, education and will work to coordinate your child’s care. It may take 3-5 days for us to get back to you (and sometimes longer during holidays). We will return the most serious calls first. Please avoid leaving multiple messages for the same issue.

For patients who are waiting for their first visit with the Rheumatology Clinic:

Please do not call the nurses’ line if you have not yet been seen by a CHEO Rheumatology Provider. Please call your family doctor, pediatrician or visit your nearest walk-in clinic.

Patient and family resources

Cassie + Friends

The Cassie + Friends Society’s (C+F) mission is to transform the lives of kids and families living with juvenile arthritis and other rheumatic diseases through research, education, connection and support. Cassie & Friends is now active in every province and territory in Canada and is a valuable resource for newly diagnosed patients and established patients alike.

Visit Cassie + Friends to learn more.

Camp Ontario – Arthritis Society Canada

The focus of Camp Ontario is to provide a place where children with arthritis can come together and participate in fun, barrier-free activities where their medical and social needs can be supported. Campers get the chance to meet and interact with other children and volunteers living with arthritis. They are given an opportunity to increase their independence, learn new things, engage in social activities and meet new friends. In addition to a wide range of crafts, sports and water activities, the camp also offers the chance for children and youth to learn about their disease and discuss coping skills with peers just like them.

Visit Camp Ontario to learn more.

Rheum Info

RheumInfo.com was first developed in 2003 to serve a need of providing accurate and reliable arthritis information (including medication information) for patients and health care providers.

Visit Rheum Info to learn more.

Sign up for MyChart to access your CHEO health record anywhere, any time.
MyChart is a secure, online patient portal that connects you to parts of your CHEO electronic health record and allows you to send two-way secure communication to your care team, complete any questionnaires your care team sends and much more.
To learn more about MyChart and sign up, visit our MyChart page and fill out the MyChart Access Request Form.

Information for healthcare providers

Make a referral

Our clinic is now accepting e-referrals with Ocean!

If you’re already on Ocean, look us up via your account by searching "CHEO".
If you don’t yet have an Ocean account, no problem - signing up is free.

Make a referral in Ocean

You can make an e-referral using Ocean, or send a referral by mail or fax to our address below.

Referral criteria and eligibility

Referral criteria and eligibility
Suspected condition	Investigations	Additional considerations
Inflammatory arthritis	CBC, ESR, CRP, albumin, ALT, GGT, creatinine, ferritin, LDH, urate, IgGAM, anti-TTG, TSH, anti-nuclear antibody (ANA), Rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP), HLA B27	-Consider lyme serology if endemic area, monoarthritis, intermittent arthritis. -Consider targeted joint imaging
Systemic rheumatic disease (e.g. systemic lupus erythematosus, juvenile dermatomyositis, vasculitis)	CBC, ESR, CRP, albumin, ALT, AST, GGT, creatinine, ferritin, CK, LDH, urate, C3, C4, IgGAM, anti-TTG, TSH, anti-nuclear antibody (ANA), extractable nuclear antigens (ENA), anti-dsDNA, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA), urinalysis, urine protein:creatinine ratio	N/A
Raynaud’s phenomenon	N/A	Encourage patient to take photos of extremity changes
Recurrent fevers	N/A	Encourage family to keep diary of fevers and symptoms

Other information

Mandatory for Triage:

Please report relevant findings on the patient’s physical examination. If the referral is for MSK pain, include joint or muscle examination and impact on function.

Please attach all relevant investigations. See required laboratory investigations above.

Additional Considerations:

If you require urgent advice, you may page the CHEO rheumatologist on-call at 613-737-7600 ext 0 or send an eConsult via OTNhub or Champlain BASE eConsult.

Please consider sending an eConsult if you are unsure whether a rheumatology referral is warranted.

Contact us

Division of Rheumatology - Clinic C-1
CHEO
401 Smyth Road,
Ottawa ON
K1H 8L1

Fax: 613-738-4292

If you have any questions about the rheumatology team or your child's appointments, contact our Clinic at: 613-737-7600 ext. 4105.

You can also reach out to individual members of our team for specific questions:

Nurse Case Managers: 613-737-7600 extension 2398
Physiotherapy: 613-737-7600 extension 2856
Social Work: 613-737-7600 extension 2174
Administration/Other: 613-737-7600 extension 1015