STEPS WE ARE TAKING TO PROTECT THE HEALTH OF OUR PATIENTS, VISITORS, AND STAFF
IN RESPONSE TO THE CURRENT HEALTH ENVIRONMENT
To Our Patients and Visitors:
Thank you so much for your patience and understanding as we continue to cope and adjust to the new health environment and public health guidance and mandates resulting from COVID-19. Please understand that our top priority, as always, is your health, and we are doing everything we can to maintain our ability to provide necessary access and care under these challenging circumstances.
The new and changing environment has compelled us to make several changes in the way we provide healthcare services. And these changes are not static. We follow the public health guidelines and when they change, we change, too. We are doing our best to keep you informed of the changes as they happen through email reminders and by updating our website. But there have been and will continue to be times when we must make quick changes that may affect appointments and office protocol.
There are many ways that you can help us. First, please read our email updates and check our website often, particularly before any scheduled appointment. Second, please be sure to complete the Pre-Visit Registration that you receive via email and/or text message. Third, as many of you know by now, we are encouraging telehealth appointments as much as possible to avoid unnecessary travel and contacts for patients and staff. For telehealth appointments, pre-registration ensures that we have your most current contact information and that you have signed the necessary consents that allow us to provide that service. When in-office visits are necessary, pre-registration includes completion of our COVID screening questionnaire, which must be done before you can enter our office suite (for everyone’s protection). Please read below for additional information and reminders about both types of visits.
Telehealth Visits:
- Please connect using a laptop or iPad if possible. While a cell phone can be used if necessary, it is not ideal due to connectivity issues.
- Please connect from an area that has a strong WiFi signal (or cell signal).
- If you experience technical issues, please contact our office for assistance.
- Again, please complete the pre-visit registration (including the consents) well before your scheduled appointment. If you need assistance, please contact us.
Office Visits:
- To protect everyone’s health, including patients, visitors, and staff, we cannot accommodate unscheduled office visits. You must call ahead and make an appointment.
- When you make your appointment, we will ask you important questions about your health condition so that we can assess whether an office visit is appropriate. Please be advised that we will need to screen any visitors/companions as well and that those persons must accompany the patient in the exam room as well.
- For scheduled appointments, you must call us before entering the building (preferably from your car). We will then let you know when your exam room is ready so that you can then enter the building, come directly to our suite, and be taken directly to the exam room. If you do not have a phone that receives text messages, please alert us to this when you call so we can call you when your room is ready instead of texting.
- Please note that the ground-floor entrance to our building is open. That entrance is in the rear of the building. We encourage you to use that entrance – which is on the level of our suite – to avoid unnecessary traffic in the lobby and unnecessary use of the elevator from the main entrance.
- Again, you must complete the pre-visit registration before your visit. That allows us to do the necessary COVID screening and it will also speed up your visit.
THANK YOU!