CORONAVIRUS OFFICE POLICY UPDATED 07/01/2020
We understand that our patients are concerned about the new Coronavirus. We are actively tracking the disease. There is limited information about the disease so these guidelines will be updated as new information becomes available. As an outpatient practice, we now offer COVID-19 antibody testing. We are not performing SARS CoV 2 nucleic acid testing (nasal swab/ PCR), but we can refer you as necessary. If you have fever, cough, and shortness of breath (defined here as shortness of breath with minimal activity that is worse than any baseline level of shortness of breath you may have), we recommend you proceed to your local ER. For management of fever and respiratory symptoms (including cough) please refer to "cold symptom care guide" on our website. This information can be found under the "Health Information" tab. This policy is in place to keep all our patients as well as our staff safe.
If you have fever or cough for less than a week, we can provide influenza testing if appropriate. The medication to specifically treat flu is only useful within a week of symptom onset and that is the basis for this recommendation. If you have fever or cough for one to two weeks, we recommend you follow our online recommendations for symptom control found under "cold symptom care guide" on this website. If you have respiratory symptoms, please schedule a TeleVisit with your physician. This will allow us to gather as much detail as necessary to decide on the next step. If your doctor thinks that an in-person visit makes sense, we will schedule you for a visit. We will also be offering flu testing and strep testing as needed.
We ask that you work with us to help keep our other patients and our staff healthy. If you call for an in-person "sick visit" and you have fever, cough, or shortness of breath please tell our staff when you call. Every visit will begin with a TeleVisit. We are using one specific exam room for "sick visits" during this outbreak. To keep people as safe as possible, all patient visits to the office are now scheduled, including lab visits, and patients will be escorted to the suite after a temperature is measured in the lobby. Please do not arrive before your scheduled appointment time, as we will not be able to appropriately accommodate you outside of that time.
All patients with fever or cough or shortness of breath are asked to wear gloves and a mask when entering our office.
All patients with fever or cough or shortness of breath will be required to do so. The mask should cover both your mouth and nose and remain in place the entire time you are in the office, including while you wait to be seen in the exam room. Since the Coronavirus can live on surfaces for days wearing gloves will make our infection control efforts easier.
To decrease our personal risk of exposure we need to limit the amount of time spent face to face with patients who may have Coronavirus. Being within 6 feet of a patient for an extended time or being coughed ON are means of transmission. If you have respiratory symptoms, we will spend a limited amount of time face to face with you.
Please do not combine a "sick visit" with a routine follow up visit since we cannot currently accommodate both during the same visit. We will not provide routine blood work during a "sick visit".
TeleVisits
Please refer to posted specific information on our website "Cold Symptom Care Guide" about over-the-counter medications that can be taken for various symptoms related to colds and other respiratory infections. If you have further questions or concerns, and especially if you have respiratory symptoms, schedule a TeleVisit for a virtual visit with your doctor to facilitate appropriate evaluation, the possible prescribing of medications or refills, and a more precise evaluation of whether in-person evaluation, testing or hospitalization may be warranted. During this outbreak, we will do our best to facilitate getting you the medications you need for your health without bringing you into the office. TeleVisits are also appropriate to address other health concerns including general health maintenance and mental health concerns and are strongly encouraged at this time.
Laboratory testing
When it is appropriate to have patients physically come into the office, we are offering minimal-contact blood draws. You will still need to alert us via cellular phone to your presence outside of the building door to be escorted up to the suite, where you will have vital signs measured prior to having blood drawn.
