Interdisciplinary Parkinson’s Disease Clinic
For over a decade, 黑料网 Movement Disorders Center has partnered with allied health therapists and others who specialize in Parkinson鈥檚 to create an interdisciplinary team, to support the best outcomes and improve quality of life for people who have been diagnosed with Parkinson鈥檚 disease.
The 黑料网 Interdisciplinary Parkinson鈥檚 Disease Clinic is a half-day clinic that provides individualized evaluations from five clinicians including a movement disorders specialist/neurologist, a clinical social worker, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist and a speech therapist. The team provides patients with comprehensive notes on their condition and performance, and then works with them to provide any necessary referrals and other resource connections.
Appointments
The 黑料网 Interdisciplinary Parkinson鈥檚 Disease Clinic is held from 8 am 鈥� 12 pm, usually on the 2nd Wednesday of the month.
In order to schedule an appointment, we must receive a referral from a neurologist or primary care physician (PCP). (Note: For PCP referrals, we ask that neurology notes be sent as well.)
If you are a physician and would like to refer a patient, please use this referral form. Please fax the referral form along with demographic and insurance information and recent neurology/relevant notes to (984) 974-2285, ATTN: Maggie Ivancic. All patients referred to this specialty clinic will be screened first.
Please direct any questions about the Interdisciplinary Parkinson Disease Clinic to the Center Coordinator, Maggie Ivancic, MSW, LCSW, at (919)-843-2777 or mivancic@neurology.unc.edu.
- Prior to your appointment, the social worker will complete a full clinical social work evaluation with you over the phone, and gather information about your history, concerns, goals, lifestyle, mood, etc. This information will be shared with the other clinicians involved to prepare them in advance for your appointment, so they can tailor their assessments and recommendations to you.
- On the evaluation day, you will come to the Outpatient Rehabilitation Clinic for four hours, where you will receive four full evaluations: neurological, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language.
- You will leave at the end of the last evaluation with a packet of general information and resources. The interdisciplinary team will then meet to discuss your case and share their recommendations.
- The team鈥檚 assessment and recommendations will be mailed to you within 3-4 weeks of the appointment. They will also be sent to your referring physician and any other physician or family member you may choose.
- After receiving our team鈥檚 notes and recommendations, you will be contacted by the Center Coordinator & Clinical Social Worker, Maggie Ivancic. She will review the notes and recommendations with you and provide you with assistance and referrals in following up with the options that you would like to pursue in your local area.
As a patient-centered clinic, we will provide thorough information on treatment options and recommendations, but it is up to the you and your family to decide upon what to pursue. We are available to provide assistance if and when you choose to follow-up with a treatment.
- You are functioning well and/or more newly diagnosed, but you would like some baseline measurements taken and would like to receive information and exercises to help maintain functioning over time;
- Physical, cognitive and/or mood symptoms of your Parkinson鈥檚 disease are interfering with your work and leisure activities or general quality of life;
- You have never been seen by any rehabilitative therapists or it has been a long time since you did rehab therapies;
- Your current treatment plan is not working or you have complications from medical therapy;
- You or your family need advice and counseling on coping with Parkinson鈥檚 disease;
- Cognitive and behavioral problems (i.e., depression and anxiety) are interfering with your activities of daily living.
- Note: this clinic is not meant for people seeking a diagnosis.
The neurology appointment should cost the same as your usual neurology visits.
Charges for each of the three allied health clinicians (PT, OT, SLP) reflect what regular evaluations by these clinicians would generally cost with your insurance. Our allied health clinicians are billed as outpatient, hospital-based. This means that if you have not met your deductible or your insurance does not cover 鈥渉ospital-based鈥� rehabilitation, you may be responsible for the full charges involved with your visit.
Also keep in mind that if you are currently doing outpatient rehabilitation at a different facility, home health rehabilitation, or are in an inpatient rehabilitation facility or under hospice care, insurance may not cover our clinic鈥檚 rehabilitation appointments.
Medicare typically covers 80% of outpatient, hospital-based rehabilitation therapies. Please note that there is a cap on how much therapy will be covered within a 6-month time period.
Community Outreach
Moving Day庐 NC Triangle
The 黑料网 Movement Disorders Center team initiated North Carolina鈥檚 Moving Day event in 2013, and has continued to play an active role in its organization ever since.
We hope you can join us for the event next fall! For more information, please visit the Moving Day庐 website at .
ParkNC: A Referral Network for Parkinson’s-trained Allied Health Clinicians
Aware that people with Parkinson鈥檚 receive the highest quality of care and have the best health outcomes when they work with clinicians who are knowledgeable about this complex disease, the 黑料网 Movement Disorders Center established www.ParkNC.org, a growing referral network for allied health clinicians (physical therapists, speech therapists, psychiatrists) who have received specialized training in Parkinson鈥檚 disease. ParkNC also lists NC鈥檚 movement disorder specialists and PD support groups.
Support Groups
Professional Education
Colloquium on Interdisciplinary Care for Parkinson’s
We offer this one-day training on Parkinson鈥檚 in various areas of North Carolina about once per year. Physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and rehabilitation administrators are invited. The goal is to enhance quality of care for people with Parkinson鈥檚 across the state.
In-Services
We are available to do brief presentations on Parkinson鈥檚 care for audiences such as long-term care communities and in-home care agencies.
Patient & Family Educational Opportunities
We host multiple educational seminars each year for the Parkinson鈥檚 community, varying which one we offer annually.
Past seminars have included:
To learn more about any of these opportunities, please contact Center Coordinator, Maggie Ivancic, MSW, LCSW, at (919)843-2777 or mivancic@neurology.unc.edu.
All of our programs are offered with support by the Parkinson’s Foundation.
The Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence has been supported by research and outreach grants from the Parkinson’s Foundation.