Request an Appointment: Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) Mission Bay

What to bring to your first appointment

Once an appointment has been scheduled, we will mail you a new patient packet. This packet contains directions to our clinic, a description of what to expect during your visit and a questionnaire. Please bring the following to your appointment:

• The completed questionnaire.
• Your current CT scans (taken within the past three months), as well as past scans, on a CD. You can request these through the radiology department where the scans were performed. The new patient packet includes a radiology release form for your convenience.
• Any other records we requested you bring.

If you have had a lung biopsy, we will work with the pathology department where the biopsy was performed to have the slides sent to us before your appointment. Occasionally, however, we ask patients to bring the slides with them. We will discuss this with you when scheduling your appointment.

What to expect from your appointment

Please arrive 30 minutes before your appointment. If you need to reschedule, contact the ILD new-patient coordinator at 415-353-2577, option 2, at least 24 hours before your appointment.

Your visit will take about two to two and a half hours. A brief description of your visit is below. The order may vary slightly.

• Arrival. After checking in, you will undergo a brief walk test and a review of your medications (15 minutes).
• Meet with your ILD doctor. The doctor will review your records, go over your medical history, perform a physical exam, and discuss your diagnosis and treatment options (1 hour).
• Meet with the ILD nurse. The nurse will review the management plan, assist with any necessary scheduling, provide additional education about your diagnosis and specific recommendations from your doctor, and answer any questions (15 minutes).
• Meet with an ILD research team member. This person will discuss any research studies for which you may be eligible (5 minutes).

Your case will be reviewed in the afternoon at the ILD multidisciplinary conference by the entire ILD team, which includes pulmonologists, ILD radiologists and ILD pathologists. Based on all data and the conference discussion, your final diagnosis will be determined.

The ILD doctors will provide recommendations directly to your referring doctor, who will continue to be your primary treating doctor. We will speak with your referring doctor within a few days of your visit. We will also call you to discuss your diagnosis. We will mail a detailed consultation letter to you and your doctor within one to two weeks of your appointment.

Billing and insurance

Please bring your current insurance card to your appointment. Check with your insurance company to make sure it will cover the cost of your visit. In addition, if we review biopsy slides, your insurance must cover the cost of the pathologist's review and report. If your insurance company does not cover any of the charges, you will be responsible for payment at the time of the visit.

If insurance authorization is not obtained for your visit or pathologist's consult (if applicable), you will need to either reschedule your appointment or pay at the time of service.

Potential costs include fees for the doctor’s visit, the pathologist's review and report, facility charges and any diagnostic testing – such as lung function tests, CT scans or blood tests – that we deem necessary to complete your evaluation.

Please contact our ILD new-patient coordinator at 415-353-2577, option 2, if you have questions. We look forward to meeting you.