Subspecialty Clinics - Arthritis Center
- About our practice
- Scheduling an appointment
- Prescription Refills
- Our Physicians and Faculty
- Our Staff
- For in-depth, disease specific information,
visit the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center Website
The Arthritis Center specializes in the care of patients with inflammatory arthritis (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis). Our doctors are attending physicians and full time faculty members at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. All are Board Certified in Rheumatology. It is our mission to provide excellent clinical care while seeking to better understand the causes, treatments, and best treatment approaches for Arthritis and Autoimmune Diseases. Each of our physicians is actively involved in clinical research. Other members of our Arthritis Center include Clinical Psychologists studying pain, exercise, and health concerns of arthritis patients, a clinical nurse, and several research and patient care coordinators and medical assistants who assist in the care of our patients. Our dedicated team is committed to ensuring the highest quality, state-of-the-art care for patients in the Baltimore community and around the globe.
Appointments can be made by calling (410) 550-8089 between 9am and 3pm Monday through Friday.
If you are a new patient, the following is needed:
- A referral letter from your physician.
- Medical records from all treating physicians and/or past rheumatologist records and/or hospital dischare summaries.
- Recent laboratory results
- Any X-rays of your joints (please bring original films).
- Please arrive 30 minutes before your appointment to allow time for registration and vial signs.
- Bring a copy of your insurance cards.
If you are a returning patient:
- Please arrive 15-20 minutes before your appointment.
- You may also need to complete some addtional forms to allow us to bill your insurance, to review your health, and help us know how you have been doing since your last visit.
- Bring a copy of your insurance cards.
Rescheduling Appointments and Cancellations:
Our clinic is very busy and unfortunately patients often have to wait several months for an appointment. If you need to reschedule, please call us at 410 550-8089 as soon as possible. This will allow us to schedule another patient who is waiting to be seen.
Prescription Refills
Refills of routine prescriptions can usually be called in or faxed to your pharmacy. We do not fill prescriptions over the weekend or holidays. Many prescriptions require prior authorization by your insurance plan, and this may take several days to obtain. Medical Assistance and certain pain medications cannot be called in; we will mail these prescriptions to you (or you can pick them up).
Please plan ahead and call 7 days before running out of your medications.
If you call for a prescription refill, leave the following information on the machine (410-550-8089):
• Your name
• Your date of birth (we have many patients with the same name!)
• The medication name
• The medication dosage
• How you are taking the medication (once daily, twice daily, etc.)
• The quantity needed (one month or 3 month supply)
• The pharmacy phone number
• Your contact number where you can be reached DURING THE DAY (such as a cell phone) if we have questions.
Our Physicians and Faculty
Joan Bathon, M.D., Director of the Arthritis Center
Clifton O. Bingham, III, M.D., Rheumatologist
Jon Giles, M.D., Rheumatologist
Uzma Haque, M.D., Rheumatologist
Susan Bartlett, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist
Kevin Fontaine, Ph.D., Research Psychologist
Our Staff
Victoria Ruffing, RN, Arthritis Nurse Manager
Penny Athanasiou, Patient Service Coordinator
Bonnie Hebden, Administrative Assistant
Research Coodinators
Steffany Haaz, MFA
Alexandra Hartman, BA
Michelle Jones, BS
Patricia Jones, BS
Marilyn Towns, BS
The Bayview Clinical Staff works with the Arthritis Center during patient care visits.
Vicky is the Nurse Manager in the Arthritis Center. She directs the Osteoarthritis Initiative Study here at Johns Hopkins, part of a nationwide research study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health that will help us better understand how to prevent and treat knee osteoarthritis. Vicky also handles many patient-related issues and educational efforts within the Arthritis Center clinics. |  | ||
Penny is the Arthritis Center Patient Service Coordinator. She handles all patient appointment scheduling, phone calls, prescription refills, and referrals. Penny ensures that all doctor visits go as smoothly as possible for the patient and oversees all administrative tasks within the clinical practice. |  | ||
Bonnie is the Administrative Assistant to all of the physicians and faculty within the Arthritis Center. She oversees physician scheduling outside the clinic as well as many administrative functions of the Arthritis Center, including grant proposals, meeting coordination, supplies ordering, research billing, etc. |  | ||
Steffany Haaz, MFA is a doctoral student in the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, as well as a certified movement analyst, registered yoga teacher and professional modern dancer. She works on a variety of behavioral research projects in the Arthritis Center with Drs. Susan Bartlett and Kevin Fontaine. Steffany also serves as a Project Director on a study of how yoga might benefit patients with Arthritis. |  | ||
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Michelle is a Research Coordinator in the Arthritis Center. She oversees the database management for ongoing research studies within the Center. |  | ||
Patricia is a Research Coordinator in the Arthritis Center. She works on a variety of clinical trials with Dr. Clifton Bingham. Patricia oversees patient recruitment, assessments, and data management. |  | ||
Marilyn is a Research Coordinator in the Arthritis Center. She works on a variety of clinical trials with Drs. Joan Bathon and Jon Giles. Marilyn oversees patient recruitment, assessments, and data management. |  |
