Rheumatology
Referral Acceptance
Rheumatology referrals are prioritised by Senior Medical Officers based on the information contained within. Additional information should be attached where available. The priorisation tool used to triage referrals can be found below under Access Criteria.
All accepted referrals will be seen within a maximum waiting time of 4 months, unless there is a clinical reason for delay.
Please note that Arthritis New Zealand no longer has offices in the Bay of Plenty. This means they do not run group sessions anymore. Their toll free number is 0800 663 463.
Referral acceptance is a follows:
First Specialist Assessments | |
Waiting priority 1 |
Accepted |
Waiting priority 2 |
Declined |
Waiting priority 3 |
Declined |
Waiting priority 4 |
Declined |
Access Criteria
Category | Criteria | Examples (not an exhaustive list) |
1 - Urgent |
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2 - Semi-Urgent |
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3 - Routine |
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4 - Non-Urgent |
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Note: Children are usually managed by Paediatricians with referral to Rheumatologists or a Paediatric Rheumatologist as required.