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COVID-19-What are you doing in your practice to keep everyone safe?

  • 03/18/2020 8:58 AM
    Message # 8839610
    Anonymous member (Administrator)

    COVID-19 is a challenge for everyone but especially for those on the front lines of healthcare. What is your practice doing to minimize exposure? Are you continuing with regular practice hours? Share what you are doing, what you have learned, and what safeguards you have put in place.  

    Last modified: 03/18/2020 8:59 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
  • 03/18/2020 9:14 AM
    Reply # 8839650 on 8839610

    I am with a neurology and sleep practice.  We have cancelled all in lab sleep studies for the next 2 weeks and non-urgent office patients for this week.  Trying to figure out what do to going forward.  Looking into implementing Telemed.  Has anyone has good success with this?

  • 03/18/2020 9:49 AM
    Reply # 8839795 on 8839610

    Good morning everyone.  We have two offices and four providers.  As of Monday morning, we have divided staff with two providers and each location along with the same staff.  We are not co-mingling physicians or staff - noting that if one office gets infected, hopefully the other can continue and not infect other staff.  We are an OBGYN office so continue to see our OB patients, but are rescheduling any non-emergent patients for at least two weeks.  We have also instituted a "call our office when you arrive" policy for our OB patients.  When they arrive in the parking lot, we are asking that they call us and remain in their car until we call them back to come into the office.  Their temp is taken prior to bringing back to an exam room.  We are not allowing anyone to accompany our patients without being screened and asking for ALL children to be left at home as their appointments will be cancelled if they arrive with them.  Thus far, we have not had to cut staff hours.  But if this continues much longer, it will probably happen.  I am sure no manager has ever been through this before - any and ALL help from fellow managers are very welcome.  We can't do this alone.

  • 03/18/2020 10:20 AM
    Reply # 8839863 on 8839610

    We've closed our office a little earlier as some of our patients are canceling.  Shockingly, our older patients are arguing about coming in (they want to come in!) when we try to reschedule them out a month or so.  We are seeing urgent patients and trying to mitigate problems and keep certain things from presenting at ERs and Urgent Cares that we can handle/manage.  Some staff are "voluntarily" cutting their hours to be home to help kids with e-learning and we're trying to balance clinical needs with staff needs.  I have offered the billing office to take their computer towers home and work from home, thus far they've declined but it may come to that as in a physician's office they're the only ones that can truly work from home.  I sent a nurse home with a laptop to handle certain things by phone or electronic refills etc to alleviate that pain in the office.  CLEAN, CLEAN, WASH YOUR HANDS, CLEAN, WASH YOUR HANDS is our office mantra and we're wiping down surfaces much more than we ever have (even more than during "regular flu season").  We're all going to have to change our practice habits, telemedicine doesn't pay much but it may be the only way to keep our doors open (and healthy).  

  • 03/23/2020 8:02 PM
    Reply # 8851716 on 8839610

    Hello my fellow warriors:

    We have implemented Telemedicine and it is working pretty well. As long as your connection is audio/visual (such as Face Time, Google Hangout, Google Duo, Android video call) you can bill the regular E&M codes such as 99213, 99214. You need to use place of service 02 and you need modifiers, 95 for commercial insurance and GT for Medicare. 

    Reimbursement is the same as it would be if the patient came in to the office. So far, we have had a very positive response from our patients.

    Welcome to our brave, new world! Hang in there my friends - this too shall pass.

  • 03/25/2020 12:11 PM
    Reply # 8858108 on 8839610

    We are only seeing emergent and urgent clinic appts and surgeries. I have set up staff to work remotely at home with what work I can give them and have a skeleton staff at office.

    One MD is dong telehealth clinics via zoom and the other phone calls and sees patients as needed. The office staff set this all up and today we are trialing the receptionist doing the check in from her home whilst Dr does the telehealth from her home.So far so good!

    Patients wait in their cars for actaul appointments and we bring them in when we are ready for them and do all paperwork/ cards etc in patient room to avoid check in desk and waiting room. 

    Surgery scheduling done over the phone.

    Last week and this week everyone still full time. We will review at end of week but already phone hardly rings and only 4 clinic patients this week and 2 surgeries!


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