Joseph McDonald, MD
Joseph McDonald, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Specialties
- Pediatric Rheumatology
Locations
- Chicago - Comer Children's Hospital
- Orland Park
- About
- Specialties & Areas of Expertise
- Locations & Patient Information
- Education & Research
- Accepted Insurance
- External Professional Relationships
[MUSIC PLAYING] My name is Joseph McDonald, and I'm a pediatric rheumatologist. I take care of children with rheumatic diseases. So these are diseases that can cause inflammation of the bones, joints, skin, muscles, or blood vessels.
My philosophy of care is that it is a partnership between the patient, the family, myself, as well as the rest of the medical care team. When they come to see us in the clinic or the hospital, it's just a snapshot of their lives. And so we really rely on the child and the family to let us know what their experiences are outside the clinic. And that allows us to really tailor our treatment approach.
When I was growing up, my mom was actually a nurse. So I did have some indirect exposure to medicine. And then, as I got older, I realized I had a passion for both science and problem-solving. And I knew I wanted a career where I got to work with people. And being a physician allows me to really work with people on a daily basis. And build long-lasting relationships with patients and families, and making them happier and healthier.
I think the most rewarding part of the job is that, especially in pediatrics, we get to see kids grow up. And it is rewarding to know that maybe I made growing up a little bit easier for them.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Joseph McDonald, MD, MS, is a board-certified pediatric rheumatologist. Dr. McDonald takes care of children and teens with arthritis, lupus and other autoimmune disorders that affect joints, skin, muscles and blood vessels. He also has extensive training in musculoskeletal ultrasound and experience developing diagnostic and interventional ultrasound programs for children with arthritis, which can enhance diagnosis, help monitor treatment response, and allow more targeted interventions.
In addition his clinical practice, Dr. McDonald is an avid researcher. He is studying the quality of life for pediatric uveitis patients, integration of musculoskeletal ultrasound into clinical care and improving collaborations in neuroinflammatory diseases.
Along with Dr. McDonald’s dedication to his patients, he is also committed to teaching and mentoring medical students, residents and fellows, offering guidance throughout their medical career.
Specialties
Areas of Expertise
- Inflammatory Eye Diseases
- Vasculitis
- Inflammatory Muscle Diseases
- Systemic Lupus
- Autoinflammatory Disorders
Board Certifications
- Pediatric Rheumatology
- Pediatrics
Languages Spoken
- English
Medical Education
- State University of New York College of Medicine
Residency
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Fellowship
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Other Grad Education
- University of Cincinnati
News & Research
Insurance
- Aetna Better Health *see insurance page
- Aetna HMO (specialists only)
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO
- Aetna POS
- Aetna PPO
- BCBS Blue Precision HMO (specialists only)
- BCBS HMO (HMOI) (specialists only)
- BCBS Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO
- BCBS PPO
- Cigna HMO
- Cigna POS
- Cigna PPO
- CountyCare *see insurance page
- Humana Medicare Advantage Choice PPO
- Humana Medicare Advantage Gold Choice PFFS
- Humana Medicare Advantage Gold Plus HMO
- Medicare
- Multiplan PPO
- PHCS PPO
- United Choice Plus POS/PPO
- United Choice HMO (specialists only)
- United Options (PPO)
- United Select (HMO & EPO) (specialists only)
- United W500 Emergent Wrap
- University of Chicago Health Plan (UCHP)
Our list of accepted insurance providers is subject to change at any time. You should contact your insurance company to confirm UChicago Medicine participates in their network before scheduling your appointment. If you have questions regarding your insurance benefits at UChicago Medicine, please contact our financial counseling team at OPSFinancialCounseling@uchospitals.edu.
Some of our physicians and health professionals collaborate with external pharmaceutical, medical device, or other medical related entities to develop new treatments and products to improve clinical outcomes for patients. In some instances, the physician has ownership interests in the external entity and/or is compensated for advising or speaking about the entity’s products or treatments. These payments may include compensation for consulting and speaking engagements, equity, and/or royalties for products invented by our physicians. To assure objectivity and integrity in patient care, UChicago Medicine requires all physicians and health professionals to report their relationships and financial interests with external entities on an annual basis. This information is used to review relationships and transactions that might give rise to potential financial conflicts of interest, and when considered to be significant a management plan to mitigate any biases is created.
If you are a patient at UChicago Medicine and would like more information about your physician’s external relationships, please talk with your physician. You may also visit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments website at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/ . CMS Open Payments is a national disclosure program that promotes a more transparent and accountable health care system. It houses a publicly accessible database of payments that reporting entities, including drug and medical device companies, make to covered recipients like physicians and hospitals.
Information in the CMS Open Payments database could potentially contain inaccurately reported and out of date payment information. All information is open to personal interpretation, if there are questions about the data, patients and their advocates should speak directly to their health care provider for a better understanding.