Appointments
Clinical care at Sindecuse Health Center is provided by appointment. Patients may make an appointment by phone or online. Appointments offered by phone or online are always the first available appointment times later that same day or on the following business day. The patient portal may be unavailable Friday mornings between 2:30 and 3:30 a.m. to allow for weekly scheduled maintenance.
You may also call
- (269) 387-3287 for physician, physician assistant, nursing, laboratory, and X-ray appointments
- (269) 387-3248 for physical therapy, massage therapy, chiropractor and sports medicine physician appointments
- (269) 387-1850 for counseling appointments. Students seeking a counseling appointment may also walk in to the health center during business hours.
When You Check-in
Please bring your WMU Bronco ID or other photo id and your insurance card with you to each visit and review the check-in and cancellation information for the department you will be visiting below:
Primary Care, Nursing, Travel, Psychiatry, Social Work, Dietitian, Lab & X-Ray, Massage Therapy, Chiropractor:
Check-in 15 minutes prior to your appointment time on the main level at the registration desk.
Sports Medicine, Physical Therapy:
Initial appointments for PT or sports med doctor check in on the main level 15 minutes before your appointment.
Follow ups: Check-in 5 minutes prior to your appointment time on the lower level in the Sports Medicine Clinic.
Counseling Services:
For intital appointments, check-in 15 minutes prior to your appointed time. Follow up appointments may check in 5 minutes prior to your appointment time on the upper level in Counseling Services.
Cancellation and no-show policy
Effective Oct. 1, 2024: Psychiatry, Social Work, and Dietitian Appointments require 24-hour cancellation notice or will be charged $100.
Starting Oct. 1, a $100 fee will be charged to accounts for missed appointments or cancellations made less than 24 hours in advance. This applies to visits with Dr. Ruggiero, Rosemary Andrews, Gerald Brooks, Phil Johnson, or Gretchen Kauth-Morin, R.D. or an assigned resident provider. To help us manage our schedule and ensure timely appointments for everyone, we ask that you give us at least 24 hours’ notice if you need to reschedule. If you call (269) 387-1850 after hours, leave a message and your cancellation will be recorded at the time you called.
Four-hour advance cancellation notice is required for:
- Primary care, nursing, chiropractor, massage therapy—$20 fee if not cancelled with four-hour notice.
- Sports medicine doctor—$50 fee if not cancelled with four-hour notice.
Counseling services also require four-hour cancellation:
- $20 fee if not cancelled with four-hour notice. Failure to cancel a counseling appointment may also result in the cancellation of future scheduled appointments. Cancellations can be made by phone after hours. Call (269) 387-1850 and leave a message.
One-hour advance cancellation notice is required for:
- Physical therapy—$20 fee if not cancelled with one-hour notice.
If you are unable to keep your appointment, call us at (269) 387-3287 (press 2) or use the patient portal to cancel or reschedule your appointment. Sports medicine appointments can be canceled by calling (269) 387-3248. Psychiatry, counseling services, nutrition and social work appointments may be cancelled by calling (269) 387-1850. Health insurance policies do not pay cancellation fees.
Patients are marked "no-show" for the appointment if they are not in the lobby marked "arrived" by a patient access services team member. Patients are asked to arrive 15 minutes early allows us to update information related to insurance, and to mark you "arrived" in time to prepare for an appointment.
Patient rights and responsibilities
Patients at Sindecuse Health Center have certain rights and responsibilities. They are posted online for viewing, as well as in each exam and waiting room at the health center.
Translation service
The health center has contracted with a telephone interpretation service to meet the medical needs of WMU students who require language translation services to receive appropriate care. Advance planning may be required to set up the service at the time of an appointment. Ask about the service when you set up an appointment.
Chaperones are available
Sindecuse Health Center follows WMU's Medical Chaperone policy. For the protection of the patient and the healthcare provider, chaperones will attend all sensitive examinations. For other exams, patients are welcome to request a chaperone. Clinic staff are available to serve as a chaperone. Our staff will maintain patient confidentiality standards. When a chaperone is present, your provider will try to keep questions of a sensitive nature to a minimum.