04/29/2020
As of Monday May 4, 2020 Providence ENT will be expanding the availability of our in person office visits.
During the government shutdown and social distancing we have kept our offices open in an attempt to meet all patient emergencies, acute and serious problems. We have utilized telemedicine to continue access for all patients, especially those who could be considered physically vulnerable.
We have also continued to care for all patients in our local hospitals. We are the only Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery group covering Riddle Memorial Hospital, Crozer Chester Medical Center and Taylor Hospital. During the past 2 months we have seen all in-hospital and emergency room consults, many unfortunately Covid-19 related.
We have been limited to emergency only surgeries, but as of May 4, 2020 we have been cleared to begin elective surgeries again in the outpatient centers.
In order to ensure patient safety and to continue social isolation we are increasing in-office patient visits in a staged manner.
1. For the first week we are offering in-office visits for approximately 50% of our past capacity.
2. We have increased our patient visit length time to reduce patient overlap in the office.
3. We are still encouraging our patients to utilize our telemedicine visits to decrease patient contacts.
4. All patients will be required to wear a mask and to maintain social distancing in the office.
5. We are encouraging our vulnerable patients (over 65 years old, patients with heart disease, obesity, diabetes, COPD, immunocompromise, etc…) to utilize our telemedicine visits through June 1, 2020. Our physicians will be offering telemedicine visits from 4:00 to 6:00 specifically designed for these patients.
6. Our ancillary services (allergy, audiology and speech and swallowing) will be gradually staged back as well. We have continued allergy shots in a limited fashion specifically to address the current allergy season.
7. We will have additional staff at each office with the sole task of cleaning exam rooms, bathrooms, and waiting rooms between each visit.
Please know that we will be doing everything possible to screen our patients to provide a safe environment. As you know coronavirus is extremely contagious and many believe the virus spreads easily from asymptomatic patients. We cannot ensure that someone could become covid-19 positive before, during or after our visits. Testing is becoming more available and hopefully will give us further guidelines for patient safety.
We urge you to continue good hand washing, good nutrition, hydration and exercise. Please wear a mask and maintain social distancing,
We look forward to seeing you in our office. Thank you for your support.
Please call 6108745366 for an appointment or visit www.providenceent.com to schedule a zocdoc appointment.