For Physicians
We appreciate you placing your trust and confidence in the physicians and staff at Alabama Allergy & Asthma Center by partnering with us on your patient’s care. It is our promise to always put your patient’s best interest first by providing the highest quality of individualized care. Alabama Allergy & Asthma Center is proud to celebrate over 50 years of care. With six locations and seven board certified allergists/immunologists we are the leading caregiver in state for pediatric and adult immunological conditions.
For questions about our services contact our Physician Liaison, Helen Combs, at 205.209.4121 or hcombs@alabamaallergy.com.
For referral status, please contact our Referral Coordinator, Jennifer Dill at 205.209.4107.
To speak directly with one of our providers please call us at 205.871.9661.
Services
All of our physicians are certified by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology (ABAI), and uniquely trained in the diagnosis and treatment of:
- Rhinitis— Allergic and Non-Allergic
- Sinusitis—Chronic and Recurrent
- Asthma—Allergic and Non Allergic
- Occupational Lung Diseases
- Allergic Conjunctivitis
- Skin Allergies (Eczema, Contact Dermatitis, Acute and Chronic Urticaria, and Angioedema)
- Food Allergy, Environmental Allergy, Insect/Venom Allergy, Latex Allergy, Drug Allergy
- Anaphylaxis
- Gastrointestinal Disorders (Eosinophilic Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis, Food Protein Induced Enteropathies)
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
- Hereditary Angioedema
- Recurrent Infections
- Immunodeficiency
- Lung Function Testing, FeNO Testing, X-Ray
- Allergy Testing (Skin, Blood, Patch, Intradermal
- Food and Drug Challenges
- Immunotherapy (Environmental, Insect/Venom)
- Food Allergy Oral Immunotherapy (Peanut and Tree Nut Desensitization)
- Drug Desensitization (Aspirin Desensitization)
- Biologics: Anti-IgE Therapy- Omalizumab, Anti-IL5 Therapy- Mepolizumab and Reslizumab, Anti IL-4 and IL-13 Therapies –
- Dupilimab
- Other Systemic Diseases
- Individualized Action Plans
- Education (Disease, Medications, Environmental Control Instructions)
Referral Process
Referral Process
We are committed to making the referral process to our practice as efficient as possible for you and your staff. Upon receiving your referral, our patient care representatives will promptly call your patient to choose the most convenient location and appointment time for them, and to go over their visit preparation instructions. We will notify you via fax with the patient’s chosen appointment time. We will also notify you if your patient misses their appointment, or declines their appointment for any reason. After the patient is seen, we work hard to ensure you receive our follow up note regarding your patient within a timely manner.
An online referral submission form, as well as our printable fax referral form can be found on this page.
Our fax referral form can be sent to our dedicated fax referral line at 205.449.6101.
Please fax patient labs and past clinic notes as appropriate with the referral.
We accept all major insurance policies. Most policies do not require a referral to see an allergy specialist. If the patient’s insurance requires a referral from their primary care provider to see a specialist,please include the referral when referring the patient (i.e. Medicaid, Tricare Prime, Healthsprings, Some BC/BS). We will not be able to set up the patient’s appointment time until we have received the required primary care provider’s referral.
New Patient Consultations
All new patients will have an initial consultation and evaluation with our physicians to establish individual testing and treatment indications. Testing, procedures, and treatments may require additional visits. Common allergy testing and lung function testing are offered at the initial appointment when indicated. We advise our new patients to stop taking all antihistamine medications (not nose sprays or inhalers) for 5 days before their new patient appointment. If they are unable to do so, they should continue their medications, and the physician will discuss alternative medications, testing, or later testing at their initial appointment.
Food Allergy Treatment
Oral immunotherapy has been extensively researched in an academic setting for over a decade with proven success. We are pleased to offer peanut and tree nut OIT to both children and adults in our area. Oral immunotherapy (OIT), or oral desensitization, is a treatment that retrains the immune system to tolerate the allergen. Treatment involves eating small, gradually increasing doses of peanuts or tree nuts each day under the careful and strict supervision of our board certified allergist/ immunologist, Dr. Carolyn Comer. The goal of treatment is to improve our patients’ overall quality of life and help them obtain a lifetime of freedom from food allergy fear and stress.
Biologic Treatments
For Omalizumab, Mepolizumab, Reslizumab, or Dupilumab therapy we are happy to take care of the approval process for our patients, but if the approval process has already been started please include any existing approval paperwork.Please include the following with your referral when available: most recent clinic notes, any record of spirometry, and any labs including IgE levels or CBC w/Diff. Patients will have to have had a new patient appointment with our physicians before we can administer any biologic.
Clinical Research
Our physicians are committed to staying actively involved in academic teaching and clinical research. Our team of providers partner with the Clinical Research Center of Alabama to conduct research through our Homewood and Hoover offices. CRCA conducts studies to aid in the development of new adult and pediatric therapies for asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, urticaria, hereditary angioedema (HAE), COPD, etc. Participating patients receive clinic visits and medication at no cost, and are additionally compensated for their time and travel. CRCA can be contacted at 205.209.4100 or for more information and studies please visit alclinicalresearch.com.
Privileges
Our physicians have privileges at the following hospitals: UAB Health System, Brookwood Baptist Health Hospitals, St. Vincent’s, Grandview, and Children’s of Alabama. To request a hospital consultation, please call us at 205.871.9661.
FAQs
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Q: What training does an allergist/immunologist have?
Q: When should a patient be referred to an allergist?
National referral guidelines can be divided into two broad categories:
- Chronic diseases frequently followed by primary care physicians or another specialist/ sub specialist: asthma, dermatitis, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and sinusitis consultations can provide definitive diagnosis, identification of allergic triggers, avoidance advice, and other treatment options or recommendations for therapy.
- Conditions in which an allergist/immunologist consultation is needed for definitive diagnosis and treatment: urticaria, angioedema, food allergy, drug allergy, insect hypersensitivity, latex allergy, occupational allergic diseases, primary immune deficiency allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, anaphylaxis, aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease, or hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
Q: What is the benefit of your patient seeing an allergist?
Since the underlying causes of conditions like sinus disease, asthma, and eczema are frequently allergy, an allergist should always be seen first. An initial referral to an allergist can eliminate excessive, duplicate, misinterpreted testing, and misdiagnosis. Inappropriate management, over-prescription of medication and treatments, unnecessary allergen avoidance, or even surgery may also be avoided.
Research shows that patients under the care of an allergist have better outcomes at less cost because of fewer emergency care visits, fewer hospitalizations, reduced lengths of hospital stays, fewer days missed from work or school, increased productivity in their work and personal lives, greater satisfaction with their care, and an improved quality of life.