COVID 19 Restrictions
COVID-19 Procedures When Visiting Our Offices
Like nearly all offices, we have special restrictions and procedures in place due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
To reduce the risk of getting COVID-19 (Coronavirus) infections, we are taking aggressive steps for the health and safety of our patients. Every patient who comes to the office will be screened for a fever at the front door prior to entering. If a fever is detected or a history of recent cough is present, they will be instructed to return to their car and to call the office to address their concerns and to make a plan for their care.
If any patient has any of the following symptoms–mild difficulty breathing, dry cough, fever, body aches–do not come to the office. Instead, call us so we can evaluate you first over the phone and make a plan for your care. If your difficulty breathing is more than mild and you cannot wait for a phone call to be returned, you should call 911 or proceed to the E.R. for urgent evaluation.
We are currently dedicating a specific location in our office close to a back door entrance for our patients who are sick with respiratory symptoms, and will have 1-2 doctors specifically committed to seeing those patients in the afternoon. Those patients will be selected and managed individually, and will never enter the waiting room or general “healthy patient area”, and might even be taken care of completely at their car while parked in the parking lot. If the doctor deems it necessary for them to be evaluated in the building, they will be brought in directly to a separate exam area for evaluation by doctors and/or nurses wearing PPE, and returned to their vehicle as quickly as possible after the exam. The examination tools and equipment we use are set apart only for those patients. Healthy patients without symptoms can be confident that when they come to Hillside Medical Office for care, the protection of their health and safety is our priority.
Also, most of our physicians are initiating telehealth visits as an alternative to coming to the office. Not every patient problem can be addressed remotely as you can imagine, but for those who are sick or frail, or just not wanting to go out for a medical visit, it can be a great alternative to coming to the office for an in-person visit. These are video medical visits with your doctor that are conducted through your mobile phone or computer at home. No software needs to be installed–it can run straight from your internet browser. Your computer must have a web-cam and microphone to be used. All smartphones have those. Those visits will need to be scheduled at specific times, so feel free to call the office (or send a message via the portal) and inquire about that.
Thanks for your cooperation during this time. The physicians and staff at H.M.O. are doing what we can to keep safe and quality care coming your way.
Have more questions about Coronavirus?