Medical office open through corona virus pandemic. Why? List of measures taken to protect everyone involved.
Dear Patients
We made the decision to stay open through the Corona Virus pandemic for the following reasons:
We deal with a lot of ulcers and wounds. If we do not provide those services, the patients are forced to go to the hospital. In an effort to prevent them from visiting the hospitals, we will try to stay open. Many of our patients are over 50 years old, diabetics and with other underlying conditions. We care about our patient's well being.
We also have the capability to take x-ray in office. So patients with minor or moderate trauma- such as ankle fractures- can have full range of treatment without the hospital visit.
We do telemedicine for patients that do not require face to face visit to try to minimize possible contaminants.
Also we can repair minor traumas, stitch minor laceration on the extremities, cast patients if needed immobilizing broken bones and other such services.
We can test for blood flow in the extremities in office. We take cultures- we use DNA sequencing for infection identifications, perform incisions and drainage in office, remove foreign bodies- such as nails in the feet, treat wounds and burns, etc. Sometime, we can send specialized nurses to the patient's house for wound care or physical therapy.
We also deal with infections, gout, diagnose blood clots, puncture wounds, unexplained foot pain, knee pain, contusions, and other similar conditions.
We take the following measures to diminish the risk of Corona Virus:
No more than 2 patients are allowed in the office at any given time- and separated in different treatment rooms
Before being seen, every person needs to wash the hands without any exception
We wipe the door handle in the exam room , at the front entrance and the common area- counter top- with Clorox wipes after each patient
We wear the mask and gloves at all times. Also we ask all patients that have underlying conditions-such as dialyses patients- to please wear masks while in the office.
We take temperature of every patient. If the temperature is above 100, we cannot see the patient. In this case, we arrange a nurse to visit the patient in his/ her house if we can. Otherwise, ask PCP for guidance.
We are all in this pandemic together and we depend on each one of us to do his part. We need to win this and shorten the time this pandemic will be upon us. Remember, that we also have families we care about and need to protect them also. Please be responsible and follow the guidelines recommended by CDC.