COVID-19 Policy/Procedures
COVID-19 Policy
Posted: 3/16/2020
Given the information from the CDC and the following actions of our state and federal government, we feel compelled to begin to institute a “stricter” set of standards with regard to our interactions with our patients.
Beginning on Monday, March 16, 2020, and extending (for now) until April 3, 2020, we will follow the protocols below to reduce the potential spread of this virus and to aid in the efforts to “flatten the curve” and reduce the severity and number of individuals who might be tragically impacted.
We have always had a careful hygienic protocol in our office (using disposable items whenever available, hand-disinfection with every patient, etc.), but here are some precautions that go “above and beyond” our normal process — please note that some items IN BOLD may be asking YOU, our patients, to do something DIFFERENT as well:
- We are asking patient who are age 60 or older to consider re-scheduling for April or later — while we are not “requiring” this, we are strongly encouraging it. [Note: age 60 came from the CDC.]
- We will be calling all patients the day before their appointment to confirm and will ask them if they are certain they are free of any fever, chills or other flu-like symptoms AND have not been exposed to someone with those symptoms in the past week — if they are not certain or have been experiencing these symptoms, they will be re-scheduled for at least 4 weeks later.
- We will be asking all patients to use a hand disinfectant and/or hand washing (we supply) at each step in their office experience.
- We will ask any patient (or person accompanying a patient) who presents with flu-like symptoms when they show up at the front desk to re-schedule.
- We will reschedule any “non-critical/business-related” outside visitors (company representatives or ‘vendors’) to after April 30.