Clinical | Department of Medicine | School of Medicine

Referring Physician & Patient Information

Information for Patients

Most of our clinics are located at Hotel Dieu Hospital. You will typically receive information about your appointment by mail. If your appointment is urgent or an aspect of it changes, you will be contacted by telephone. You may also receive an automated reminder call 1-2 weeks before your appointment. Please make note of the number to call in case you need to reschedule.

When you arrive for your appointment, please ensure that your contact information is accurate so you receive timely information about future appointments and tests.

A medical student, who is training to be a doctor, or a resident, who is a doctor training to become a specialist, may be involved in your care along with the attending physician.

After your visit, your doctor will receive a letter from the physician who saw you, summarizing your consultation and the plans you make together.

Information for Physicians

Referrals may be sent by fax to our central shared line at 613-549-1459. Referrals are triaged daily by a staff member and assigned to the most appropriate clinician based on the patient’s clinical information and the urgency for assessment. Referring physicians will receive a faxed reply indicating the clinician to whom the patient was referred, along with their contact information.

Some of our clinics have specific referral forms, as indicated below. If you are unsure which form to use, please send your request to our general fax number.

General Clinics

General Respirology Clinics

All members of our division see patients with typical respiratory conditions. We offer 8–10 general respirology clinics each week

Fellows' Urgent Clinics

Staffing: Attending physician and two respiratory fellows.

This clinic is designed to respond to requests for urgent and semi-urgent referrals. A fellow is responsible for each patient’s management, under the supervision of attending physicians who are assigned to the clinic on a rotating basis.

Subspecialty Clinics

Asthma Clinic

Staffing: Attending physician and nurse practitioner

These clinics provide care for patients with known or suspected severe asthma.

The Asthma Nurse Practitioner Clinic supports ambulatory patients both in-person and virtually. Patients may be referred directly (referral form).

Patients may also receive support from Asthma Educators (referral form).

Patients requiring biologic agents administered by infusion are seen at the Infusion Clinic on KGH Armstrong 4, managed by the Asthma Nurse Practitioner.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Clinic

Staffing: Attending physician and COPD nurse practitioner

These clinics provide care for patients with advanced COPD, including those with frequent hospital admissions, hypercarbia, and those undergoing pre- or post-lung transplant management.

The Nurse Practitioner Clinic supports ambulatory patients with COPD both in-person and virtually. Patients may be referred directly (referral form).

Adult Cystic Fibrosis Clinic

Staffing: Attending physician, clinical nurse specialist, dietitian, physiotherapist, social worker, and pharmacist

This interprofessional clinic provides care for patients aged 18 years and older with known or suspected cystic fibrosis.

Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) Clinic

Staffing: Attending physicians and ILD nurse

This clinic provides care for patients with suspected or known significant interstitial lung diseases and/or pulmonary fibrosis. Standardized testing is ordered by the clinic prior to appointments.

Lung Diagnostic Assessment Program (LDAP)

Staffing: Attending respirologist

The Lung Diagnostic Assessment Program (LDAP) provides rapid assessment for patients suspected of having lung cancer. Nurse navigators expedite investigations before and after a clinic visit. Patients are seen in follow-up at a multidisciplinary clinic staffed by a respirologist, radiation oncologist, medical oncologist, surgeon, and palliative care physician, and are directed to the appropriate path for treatment.

Lennox and Addington LDAP Outreach Clinic

Location: Lennox and Addington County General Hospital (LACGH)
Staffing: Attending respirologist

This is an expansion of the LDAP program to allow patients to receive care closer to their homes. Some patients may be offered the option of having their initial LDAP assessment appointment at LACGH. Treatment and follow-up may be provided at HDH, or patients may continue to be followed at LACGH as clinically required.

Referral form

Neuromuscular Clinic

Location: Providence Care Hospital
Staffing: Respirologist, physiatrist, neurologist, respiratory therapist

This multidisciplinary clinic supports patients living with neuromuscular diseases, such as ALS.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation Clinic and Program

Location: Providence Care Hospital
Staffing: Attending respirologist and respiratory physiotherapists

The clinic assesses patients for inclusion in the program and monitors their progress and follow-up.

The Rehabilitation Program provides education and physical rehabilitation for patients with chronic lung disease. The ambulatory program consists of three 2-hour sessions per week for 12 weeks. There are three inpatient beds available for patients who cannot travel to the ambulatory program. The inpatient program includes two 2-hour sessions per day for three weeks.

Referral form

Pleural Space Clinic

Staffing: Attending respirologist and registered nurse

This is a procedural clinic. Patients who have been assessed by a physician, typically an oncologist or internist, may be referred for diagnostic or therapeutic thoracentesis, as well as for the placement, monitoring, and removal of indwelling pleural catheters (e.g., PleurX).

Referral form

Sleep Medicine Clinic

Staffing: Respirologist with additional training in sleep medicine; sleep technologist

This clinic evaluates and provides care for patients with sleep disorders that affect respiration, such as obstructive sleep apnea and chronic hypoventilation.

Patients may be referred for a “sleep study” (polysomnography or PSG) at the Sleep Lab at KGH. During the study, patients are observed and monitored overnight to diagnose disorders and adjust treatment. This is a six-bed unit staffed by sleep technologists.

Patients identified as benefiting from treatments such as CPAP or positional therapy may be referred to the Sleep Diagnostic Education Centre for education, a trial of therapy, or adjustment of existing devices. Patients are provided with a list of local vendors from whom the equipment can be purchased.

Referral form

Small Nodule Clinic

Staffing: Attending respirologist

This clinic evaluates patients with small lung nodules requiring follow-up, either through triage from the LDAP or via direct referral.

Tuberculosis Clinic

Staffing: Attending respirologist and infectious disease specialist

This clinic assesses and treats patients suspected of or known to have tuberculosis or other mycobacterial diseases.

Virtual Clinics

Many division members offer virtual follow-up for the convenience of patients, either by telephone or through the OTN platform.

eConsults

Several division members are registered to provide electronic consults through Ontario eConsult.

Procedures

Bronchoscopy

Location: Kingston General Hospital
Staffing: Respirologists and designated registered nurses

Our division provides daily and on-call bronchoscopy services, including standard light bronchoscopy, ultrasound-guided endoscopic biopsy (EBUS*), and, in selected cases, cryobiopsy.

Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT) Lab

Location: Hotel Dieu Hospital
Staffing: Respiratory therapists

The PFT lab provides testing for patients with cardiopulmonary disease. Available tests include basic spirometry, lung volumes, diffusing capacity, 6-minute walk tests, oxygen assessment, methacholine provocation, and full cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). Results are interpreted by an attending respirologist.

Referral form

Pleural Space Clinic

See the description above in the "Clinics" section.

Inpatient Services

Inpatient Consultation Services

Staffing: Attending respirologist, respiratory fellow, internal medicine residents, and medical students

The division provides 24/7 in-person consultations to patients admitted to Kingston General Hospital (KGH), Hotel Dieu Hospital (HDH), and Providence Care Hospital (PCH). We also offer 24/7 telephone consultations to hospitals in our region of South-Eastern Ontario.

In-Patient Respirology Service

Staffing: Attending respirologist, respiratory fellow, internal medicine residents, and medical students

The division admits and provides direct inpatient care for patients with cystic fibrosis and for patients requiring an overnight stay following procedures performed or requested by a respirologist.