COVID-19 Office Policy Update

As part of our ongoing efforts to limit contact with COVID-19 for our patients and our staff, we are implementing the following procedures:

• All employees will be screened with temperature checks twice daily, be required to report symptoms of illness or exposure to COVID-19 and be required to quarantine as necessary.

• All toys, books and magazines have been removed from the office to limit the spread of COVID-19 via contact. Parents can bring their child’s own toys and snacks from home if desired.

• All office visits will be by appointment only and the front door will be locked in order to prevent people from walking in unannounced.

• Appointments will be staggered so that only one family is in the office at a time.

• Social distancing rules will be observed.

• The history and counseling portions will be conducted via telemedicine in order to limit the amount of face-to-face interactions. This could be done from home or in the office with a parent/child sitting in a separate room from the clinician.

• Only 1 parent/guardian can accompany a child to their visit. No siblings will be allowed. We recommend that people who are high-risk for complications from COVID-19 do not come along for office visits (particularly elderly people or those with pre-existing health issues).

• Both parent and child (if over 2 years old) need to wear a mask from home. The doctor may provide clear masks for assessments if available.

• For scheduling purposes, our staff will administer COVID-19 screening questions before booking the appointment and again when confirming the appointment.

• On the day of the appointment, our staff will greet the parent and child outside the office door upon arrival and administer COVID-19 screening questions once more. If the answer is “yes” to any questions, we will reschedule the appointment in 2 weeks.

• Our staff will check the parent and child’s temperature using a forehead scan. If normal, the parent and child will be permitted into the office. If anyone has a fever (>100.4 F), we will reschedule the appointment in 2 weeks.

• If all is well, our staff will walk the parent and child into the assessment room. The doctor will use best judgment in choosing assessments that minimize infection risks while still providing adequate information about the child. (These assessments may be alternatives to what was previously offered before the pandemic started).

• The assessment will take place using masks and social distancing to the best of our ability. In some cases, a plexi-glass screen may be used to shield from sneezing and/or coughing. In addition, the doctor may wear scrubs, gowns, eye protection and gloves. Some children may not be able to cooperate fully with infection control measures and this is a risk that is willingly shared by both the parent and doctor.

• After the assessment, a physical examination will be conducted, again to the best of our ability in order to limit contact.

• Your payment and paperwork will be collected/given using contactless methods when available.

• All rooms, surfaces and assessment materials will be disinfected and cleaned after every patient.

• At the end of the day, we will again clean the entire office to prepare for the next day.

• We will continue to offer virtual telemedicine visits for those who are interested.