Office Policies

  • Patient Information

    San Mateo Rheumatology takes new patients by referral only. You will need to be evaluated by your primary care doctor (or other specialist) who will determine if you need to see a rheumatologist. If you are new to the area and already have a rheumatologic diagnosis you can contact us directly. New patient forms are available on this site for download or we can mail them to you if you prefer. We make every effort to see our established patients in a timely manner. If you are having a problem, please let us know if your condition is urgent and we will try to see you on the same day or the following day. Appointments are confirmed by an automated service called Televox that will either call you or send you a text message, depending on your choice. Missed appointments without 24 hour notification may be subject to a $50.00 service charge.

  • Medication Refills

    If you need a refill of your medication, call your pharmacy and they will notify us either electronically or by fax. We attempt to refill all medication requests the same day. Please let us know if more than 24 hours has passed since you requested your medication refill. If you have not seen Dr. Stevens or Dr. Gescuk in over a year, you will be given a short term supply of your medication and you will be asked to schedule a visit. We can not fill prescriptions for patients who are not seen here at least yearly.

  • Parking

    There is a parking garage under our building that is accessed from Ellsworth Street. The entrance to the garage is just to the right of an 8 story building and is called “Mills Square/Hillsborough Plaza Garage”. We do not validate but parking rates are very reasonable. When you enter the garage, tell the person in the toll booth that you are going to see Dr Stevens or Dr Gescuk and they will direct you where to park, as there are 2 elevators and they go to two different buildings.

  • Communications

    We highly recommend that all patients enroll in My Health Online (MHO). This is an online portal to our EHR (Electronic Health Record) and allows you to communicate directly with your doctor. This is used for communicating about your health conditions, not about appointments or insurance issues, etc. For the latter questions, please call the office directly. We are happy to help you. If your medical issues are complex, the doctor may ask you to schedule an appointment so that he can discuss the issues in person.

    We have an office email office@sanmateorheumatology.com. However, it is not considered a HIPAA compliant secure method of communication. We prefer that you use MHO, call us, or send a fax. We understand that there are times when emailing is the only method available to you so we just want you to be aware of the risks of non-secure communication.

  • Infusions

    Part of our practice includes an infusion clinic adjacent to the waiting room. Here we administer IV medications that are used in the treatment of many of the rheumatic diseases which we treat. We employ certified RNs who administer these medications under the supervision of one of the doctors here.

  • Insurance

    We are contracted with most of the major insurance payors, including Medicare. We accept assignment on Medicare. We also belong to Mills Peninsula Medical Group and Hill Physician Medical Group. We do not belong to Brown and Toland and we do not take Medi-cal. However, we do take Care Advantage (a Medicare/Medi-cal plan) and we do take Medicare with a Medi-cal secondary insurance. It is very important to let us know if you have new insurance, particularly if you are receiving infusions or on a self-injectable medication. Most non-Medicare insurance plans require prior authorization so if you get new insurance and we don’t have a prior authorization, they will not pay for your treatment and there may be a delay in receiving the medication you need.

  • After-Hours Care

    The doctors are on call 24/7 for urgent rheumatology problems that cannot wait until the next business day. Non-rheumatology issues should be directed to your primary care physician. For urgent rheumatology problems, call our regular office number and you will be directed to an after-hours number and the doctor will call you back. If your problem is life-threatening, call 911 or go directly to the nearest hospital or emergency room.

    We are pleased that you have chosen to seek medical care from our office. We hope that you will find your experience here pleasant and helpful. It is our goal to provide excellent service and patient satisfaction. Please let us know if there are any areas in which we can improve.