03/20/2020
Dear Patients,
I wanted to take a moment to update you on what I am doing at the Huffman clinic during the Coronavirus pandemic.
-We have started doing telemedicine and will be happy to arrange for a telemedicine appointment! If you have access to Skype or Facetime, we will offer video calls. This is for the safety of both patients and my staff. Patients that do not have a reason they have to be seen in person and do not want a telemedicine visit will be offered an appointment at a future time when it is safe.
-For patients that need to be seen in person, clinic visits will be spaced apart to avoid patients sitting in the waiting room. Patients will be asked to come into the office alone after washing their hands. No patients showing clinical signs of viral infection will be seen. Please be thoughtful of others and do your best to prevent the spread of the virus.
-I will continue to see patients in the outpatient clinic on a very limited basis. Post-operative patients that require wound checks or other procedures that cannot be delayed will be seen. New referrals will be reviewed and if truly urgent will be scheduled. If possible, new patients will be offered a video telemedicine appointment.
-At this time all of the hospitals and outpatient surgery centers in our area have put a hold on elective surgical procedures at least till the end of March, though I expect this to continue for a longer period. This is in line with the recommendations of the American College of Surgeons and the Surgeon General. We will continue to do emergency surgeries as needed. Urgent surgeries will be addressed on a case by case basis.
On behalf of the staff and myself, I want to thank you for trusting us with your care. As always, our goal is to provide quality and timely care in a safe and compassionate environment. We appreciate your understanding in these challenging times.
Sincerely,
Dr. Huffman