Overview
![Cleveland Clinic physician Michelle Biehl, MD speaking with a COVID-19 long-hauler](/https/my.clevelandclinic.org/-/scassets/images/org/respiratory/covid-recover-clinic.jpg)
If you have symptoms of long COVID, our dedicated team of providers from different specialties can help. We offer accurate diagnosis, treatment based on research and the chance to take part in clinical studies.
Who do we evaluate?
The reCOVer clinic accepts patient who:
- Have had positive COVID antigen (AKA rapid/home) or PCR test, or who have been presumed to have COVID-19 after February 2020. Antibody testing is not accepted as confirmation of COVID infection for our clinic.
- Have ongoing persistent symptoms for at least 3 months after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
- Are 18 years or older.
How is long COVID treated at the reCOVer Clinic?
At your first visit, you’ll meet with the reCOVer care team. We’ll talk with you about your symptoms and what’s been going on. And we’ll go over your health history and do a physical exam. Based on what we learn, we may refer you the appropriate specialists who can do testing and treat your symptoms.
What does it mean to be have long COVID?
Being a COVID-19 long-hauler is what doctors medically refer to as having long COVID or PASC (Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV 2).
Having long COVID or PASC (Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV 2),means you feel all kinds of symptoms for weeks or even months after your initial COVID-19 infection. Even if you weren't sick enough to be hospitalized, symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, abdominal pain, loss of smell and taste, difficulty concentrating, insomnia, depression and many more can keep you from being able to get back to how your health was pre-COVID.
What to Expect
What can I expect prior to and at my first appointment?
- After you schedule a new appointment, you’ll receive a questionnaire through MyChart to complete prior to your first appointment. **Should you not receive your survey via MyChart, please email ReCOVerClinicReferrals@ccf.org to request a copy.
- Your reCOVer appointment will be in-person or virtual. It will last about 60 minutes.
- Your healthcare provider will ask you for a detailed healthy history and do a physical exam.
- Following your visit, you will be scheduled for several tests and lab work to check for ongoing symptoms.
What type of tests can I expect?
When you come to an evaluation at reCOVer Clinic, you will have:
- A chest X-ray.
- Pulmonary (lung) function tests.
- A 6-minute walk to detect low oxygen.
- An electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) and echocardiogram (echo) to evaluate how your heart functions.
- Blood work drawn for nutritional, kidney, heart muscle tests.
What other experts might I see?
Once you finish your initial evaluation, we’ll look closely at your test result and symptoms. Based on what we learn, we will refer you to specialists, as needed. These include pulmonology, cardiology, neuropsychology, neurology, psychiatry, rheumatology, nephrology, dermatology, otolaryngology, endocrinology, geriatrics sleep medicine, integrative medicine, functional medicine and many others.
Appointments & Locations
How can I get an appointment at the reCOVer Clinic?
If you'd like an appointment at reCOVer Clinic, it’s important you talk about your ongoing symptoms with your provider to place a referral, either from a Cleveland Clinic provider or an outside provider.
If your provider is not within the Cleveland Clinic system, they can fax the referral to 216.427.9057 or email it to ReCOVerClinicReferrals@ccf.org.
You’re also able to make an appointment without a referral. Just call, and schedule your first appointment in the reCOVer Clinic at 216.444.6503.
First appointments are usually scheduled virtually or in-person at Middleburg Heights Family Health Center.
For Medical Professionals
How to Refer a Patient to the reCOVer Clinic
Our secure online service provides referring providers with access to patient’s treatment progress with streamlined communication from our team.. This helps you stay actively involved in your patient’s ongoing care. With the best possible treatment plans and coordinated care, our team approach benefits both you and your patient.
- Internal referral from a Cleveland Clinic Provider will place a Consult Order to reCOVer Clinic. Someone will contact you to schedule your appointment.
- Self-referrals contact Cleveland Clinic Access Center: 216.444.6503.
- External Referrals can submit via:
- Fax: 216.427.9057
- Email: ReCOVerClinicReferrals@ccf.org
Required criteria to be a patient scheduled in the COVID reCOVer Clinic:
- The reCOVer clinic accepts patient who have had positive COVID antigen (AKA rapid/home) or PCR test, or who have been presumed to have COVID-19 after February 2020. Antibody testing is not accepted as confirmation of COVID infection for our clinic.
- Has ongoing persistent symptoms for at least 3 months after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
- Is 18 years or older.
Resources for Medical Professionals
Consult QD: Find helpful posts from Cleveland Clinic's site for physicians and healthcare professionals. Discover the latest COVID-19 research insights, innovations, treatment trends and more:
Research & Clinical Trials
Clinical trials (or research studies) help us create the medicine of tomorrow. They provide hope through offering testing of new drugs, new surgical techniques or other treatments before they are widely available.
We can help you access hundreds of clinical trials across all specialty areas. Our new searchable online trials tool makes identifying treatment opportunities easier than ever.
Recommended Research Readings
View helpful research publications on the topic of long COVID below:
- Pandemic Has Interrupted Our Slumber | NIH Record.
- Women in Medicine Month Profile Series.
- Multidisciplinary Approach to Brain Fog and Related Persisting Symptoms Post COVID-19 - PubMed.
- Neurocognitive Profiles in Patients With Persisting Cognitive Symptoms Associated With COVID-19 - PubMed.
- 714 Sleep Disordered Breathing Polysomnographic Measures and COVID-19 Risk of WHO-7 Clinical Outcomes in a Large Health Care System - PMC.
- Long COVID and rheumatology: Clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic implications - PubMed (nih.gov).
- The Evolving Role of the Rheumatology Practitioner in the Care of Immunocompromised Patients in the COVID-19 Era - PubMed (nih.gov).
- Long COVID-19 and the Role of the Patient-Clinician Interaction in Symptom Management - PubMed (nih.gov).
- Long COVID: defining the role of rheumatology in care and research - PubMed (nih.gov).
- Low-Dose Naltrexone Use in Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome: A Case Series.
- Sleep Disturbance Severity and Correlates in Post‑acute Sequelae of COVID‑19 (PASC).
- Obstructive sleep apnea association with postacute sequelae of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2: insights from the NIH researching coronavirus disease 2019 to enhance recovery initiative and a call for action.