I am happy to let you know that starting Monday May 4, I will be seeing patients in the office again. Like everything else, instead of our office going back to “normal,” we have adopted the CDC recommended guidelines and have moved forward to a “new normal.”
I wanted to update you on the changes we have made as we make every effort to keep you safe.
The New Normal in the Office
I believe that social distancing is still important and I am limiting how many patients I see per day to minimize traffic in the waiting room and the front desk. One of my goals is to not have patients waiting in the waiting room at all.
I ask that if you can come by yourself that you do so and that you bring a face covering with you. If you have limited mobility and need assistance, I ask that only one family member come with you. As soon as you enter the office, staff will meet you in order to perform a Covid-19 screening. We will check your temperature and ask questions about any symptoms. If everything checks out, you will immediately go to an exam room.
A medical assistant will meet with you in the exam room to go over some of the standard paperwork we do with all patients. If an X-ray is indicated, we will take you back to the X-ray room and continue to maintain our precautions.
All of the staff in our office will be wearing masks as well as gloves if we need to come in contact with you. Everyone will be diligent about observing hand hygiene.
While some orthopedic problems are better addressed with in-person visits, I will continue to offer telemedicine appointments. If you prefer to be seen this way, it is still an option for you.
If you would like to learn more about making an appointment with me whether it is telemedicine or in person, click here.
The New Normal in Surgery
I am also resuming elective total hip and knee replacement surgeries this week. A similar process will be performed for surgery. Before having surgery, all patients will be tested for the virus, SARS-Cov-2, that causes Covid-19. Visitors on the day of surgery will be limited. At Northside Hospital, patients are currently limited to 1 visitor in the waiting area. To read more about Northside Hospital’s visitor policy, you can click here.
The facility where the surgery will be performed will take measures to screen everyone who enters the facility and to provide adequate social distancing.
My goal has always been to help you experience a quicker recovery with less pain. The protocols we have to get you home the same day as surgery now makes more sense than ever. The less time you spend in the hospital right now, the better.
As many of you know once surgery is planned, there is a class at the hospital we ask every patient and their support team to attend. This class is currently being done virtually instead of in person. We also do a pre-op visit in the office. While this visit can be done in person, you can ask to have this visit done virtually as well.
We do offer knee and hip replacement in a surgery center for those who wish to avoid the hospital completely. Not all patients are eligible for surgery in a surgery center, and we can discuss if this is right decision for you
I look forward to seeing you again and helping you get your life back.
