The Autonomic Dysfunction (AD) Clinic at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital is a referral center for patients with complex AD, which includes postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).

Patients are typically referred from their current subspecialist (e.g., neurologist, cardiologist, rheumatologist or physiatrist) or are seeking a second opinion. Many have already had extensive evaluations by the time they are seen in our clinic. Navigating the medical system can be challenging. The information on this page is provided to help determine if an appointment at the Johns Hopkins All Children’s AD clinic is appropriate for you or your child.

To be seen, we must have records available for our team to review at least one week before the initial appointment. If we do not have the needed records, we may reschedule the appointment (please note the next available appointment may be months later so we encourage you to verify that the records have been received by our office).

What We Need Before Your First Appointment

Below is the list of documents and records needed. If the providers listed below are at Johns Hopkins All Children’s or the testing was done at Johns Hopkins All Children’s, we will already have the records. For provider notes or testing outside of Johns Hopkins All Children’s, it is your responsibility to ensure we receive the records and documents.

• Last clinic note from the primary care physician
• Last clinic note from the specialist who is primarily managing AD or POTS (if applicable)
• Last clinic notes from any of the following specialists your child sees:
  • Neurology
  • Gastroenterology (GI)
  • Cardiology
  • Rheumatology
  • Sleep medicine
  • Physiatry
  • Endocrinology
  • Hematology
• Images and report from the most recent echocardiogram (if done)
• Reports from any of the following that may have been done
  • EGD or colonoscopy (scope performed by the GI physician)
  • Sleep study
  • EEG
  • Nerve conduction studies
• Most recent blood work 
• Name and office contact of current mental health professional your child may see (we do not need these notes)

Other Important Information

• Our clinic is multidisciplinary, meaning your child will be seen by multiple specialists as needed, and the clinic occurs on certain days and times.
• Given each person's unique nature, we are unable to give any specific recommendations or treatment advice until we have evaluated the patient.
• It is important you continue working with your current care team for ongoing needs.
• If you ever feel there are urgent or life-threating concerns, you should reach out to your current care team or seek care at an urgent care center or emergency center.
• On occasion, after reviewing the records, we may determine an appointment with the Johns Hopkins All Children’s AD clinic is not the best next step for you or your child and may suggest an alternate option.