COVID-19 and Other Cough Precautions
Even if you are vaccinated to flu, RSV, and COVID, we require masking for anybody with cough or URI symptoms... not necessarily out of concern for your health, but to protect the health of newborn babies, cancer patients, and immunocompromised patients we do see in our office.
Office flow changes we have implemented since the COVID-19 pandemic include:
- We encourage all new patients to please download and complete office registration forms at home to avoid doing this in the waiting room.
- Office appointment scheduling now spaced far enough apart so that there should never be more than 4 people (if any) present in the waiting room at the same time. This also means we are not able to see as many patients as we used to.
- Allergy shots are no longer walk-in. They are now scheduled to ensure enough temporal spacing between patients, minimize waiting to get an allergy shot, and allow time for post-allergy shot monitoring without undue clumping of patients (a private room is available for those who do not wish to wait in the waiting room).
- If too many patients are present in the waiting room, patients and their families can certainly wait in the car and staff will call you when you are able to come in safely.
- Everybody gets a temperature check when coming into the office.
- Contact-less thermometer used for temperature readings.
Environmental control changes that have been implemented since the COVID-19 pandemic include:
- Portable HEPA units are present in all exam rooms, waiting room, and office hallway to cleanse the air of any aerosolized infectious/irritating agents (ie, bacteria, mold, viruses, and allergens).
- All clipboards and pens that patients touch are sterilized at 180+ degrees F for 45 minutes before re-use.
- Half of the waiting room chairs have been removed.
- All equipment used on patients are sterilized in an autoclave. Endoscopes are not only sterilized in cidex, but also handles drenched in 99% ethanol.
- Where appropriate, molecular iodine antiseptic spray will be used on patients
- All staff members practice frequent hand-washing.
- Exam rooms are cleaned frequently and additionally deep-cleaned when there is a concern for gross contamination.
- Check-In and Check-Out counters with plexi-glass shieldings
- Thermometer, tongue blades, and pulse oximeter are frequently UV sterilized.
For those still concerned about in-office visits, we do offer Telemedicine visits limited to established patients for amenable problems.
And as a reminder, please wear a mask at all times in order to limit the spread of any contagious virus whenever out in public places to protect not only yourself, but others.
