The Johns Hopkins Myositis Center brings together the expertise of:
- rheumatologists
- neurologists
- pulmonologists
- physical therapists
- occupational therapists
- nutritionists
The clinical program is also coupled with clinical and basic science research in the departments of Rheumatology and Neurology at the Johns Hopkins Bayview campus.
Expertise and Convenience
Our patients find the expertise and convenience of the Myositis Center critical to their treatment and care. Our doctors share a passion and commitment to the treatment of this disease, and their combined experience leads to excellent and focused patient care.
If you are a physician who suspects your patient may have Myositis, please visit our For Physician section.
New Patients
New patients can expect the following at their first visit to the Myositis Center:
- When preparing for an appointment, our medical office coordinator will arrange to have your records along with your physician’s referral letter sent to the Center.
- It is a requirement of the Myositis Center that our doctors review your records before being scheduled for appointment. This is so they can arrange for additional tests if necessary and verify that you would benefit from a visit to the Center.
- After the doctors review your chart, and approve your appointment, Shannon will call you to schedule an appointment, as well as further testing if necessary. Usually all appointments can be made on the same day.
- For your first visit, you should plan on spending the entire day at the Myositis Center. In most cases, this will allow for your doctors visit, testing, physical therapy and/or nutrition consults to occur on that day.
- When you arrive at the clinic, we will take all your charts, your physician referral letter, your insurance card and any other copy of your records.
- Our doctors will examine you and discuss treatment options with you. You will have the opportunity to consult with the Center’s own physical and occupational therapists, as well as our on-call nutritionist who specializes in counseling for myositis patients. You may also undergo testing, including electromyography, CT scans, muscle MRI, and pulmonary function tests. Although we do perform muscle biopsies, this would most likely not occur at the time of your first visit.
- We are dedicated to providing care for patients with myositis and toxic myopathies. In many cases, we will continue to follow you closely with regular return visits. However, we are also available to provide recommendations to your local neurologist or rheumatologist, particularly if you live far from our Center. For those patients who do not have myositis, we will try to refer you to an appropriate specialist at Johns Hopkins or elsewhere.
