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Arthritis & Sports’ Response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED REGULARLY AS NEW INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE
Last updated May 29th, 2020
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION:
Elective surgeries in Virginia and Maryland are being allowed to resume.
Effective May 29th, all patients and employees are required to wear a face covering while entering, exiting, traveling through, or spending time within our clinics.
If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your primary healthcare provider for medical advice.
At this time, our offices remain open with normal business hours and most surgeries will take place as scheduled – however, for the safety of our patients and staff, some appointments may be rescheduled. If we do not contact you to reschedule, please plan to arrive for your appointment at your scheduled time.
We ask that you please do not arrive at any of our practice locations with these symptoms until you have spoken with the practice and they have advised you to come in: cough, cold, or flu; fever or nausea; difficulty breathing or shortness of breath; stomach or chest pain; vomiting or diarrhea; or any other contagious disease.
Please attend your appointment or surgical visit alone unless a support person is necessary. If assistance is required for transportation purposes, we ask that they remain in their vehicle during your appointment.
We are now offering telemedicine visits to new and current orthopaedic and physical therapy patients. Learn more by visiting our page here.
All in-person classes and seminars have been postponed, including our monthly Joint Classes. We have made a digital version of our Joint Class available to our patients, which you can watch anytime by visiting our page here.
Your safety is our main concern. Throughout this pandemic, our team’s primary focus has been on creating the safest environment for our patients to receive care. As the level of COVID-19 infections begins to stabilize in our community, we are starting to open our schedules for appointments, and are beginning to reschedule surgeries and procedures that were delayed during the pandemic.
If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your primary healthcare provider for medical advice.
For the safety of our employees and those that we serve, if you or someone with you appears ill or meets any of the conditions listed below, the office may cancel your appointment:
cough, cold, or flu
fever or nausea
difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
stomach or chest pain
vomiting or diarrhea
any other contagious disease
If you have a scheduled appointment and have any of the above symptoms, or have taken a COVID-19 test and are awaiting results, we ask that you please call to reschedule your appointment. This will ensure that we remain a safe environment for all that visit our clinics, including both our patients and employees.
In accordance with CDC guidelines, we are following best practices to provide our community with a safe environment to receive care. We are taking every precaution to reduce the spread of infection so you can feel comfortable getting the medical attention you need, including the following individual steps.
Everyone Is Screened Before Entering Our Clinics
To help protect everyone from the spread of infection, we are screening every person for symptoms before entering our clinics. Onsite screenings require all patients, visitors, and team members to sanitize their hands, answer questions about potential symptoms, and complete a temperature check. Additionally, we are reaching out to all patients 24 hours prior to their visit to review our practice protocols, screen for COVID-19 symptoms, and discuss additional options including telehealth visits.
If any provider or team member meets any of the CDC exposure guidelines or presents with any of the above symptoms, they are required to follow the CDC’s guidelines for testing and quarantine.
Masks Are Mandatory
In accordance with CDC guidelines and Virginia's Executive Order 63, all providers, staff, patients, and visitors are required to wear a facemask or face covering when in our clinics. If a patient arrives without a facemask, one will be provided to them. These masks are to be worn in common spaces, such as waiting rooms and hallways, as well as in their private exam room.
Enhanced Cleaning
We are performing enhanced cleaning between every patient. We have increased cleaning of frequently-touched areas throughout our clinics with CDC-approved products, including our waiting rooms and exam rooms. We are also performing additional deep cleanings daily.
Reducing Wait Times in Communal Spaces
To help reduce the number of patients in communal spaces, we are asking all patients to complete their patient registration forms prior to arriving for their visit. We are also working hard to room patients as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Visitor Restrictions
In response to the increased circulation of the novel coronavirus, additional restrictions on Arthritis & Sports clinic visitors are in place to minimize the spread of COVID-19. At this time, we are limiting individuals accompanying patients and asking patients to arrive to their visits alone. However, in instances where an accompanying individual is necessary (ex. a parent of a child patient), those individuals are being screened in the same manner as the patient.
Limiting Face-To-Face Meetings and Classes
To limit the exposure of our team and our patients, we have temporary cancelled all in-person classes and events, including the monthly Joint Class, and have made online alternatives of these events available to our patients. Additionally, we are limiting the number and frequency of our face-to-face meetings within clinics as much as possible.
More Ways to Maintain Physical Distance During In-Person Visits
We are actively spacing appointments out, increasing virtual visits, and expanding hours where appropriate. This way we can accommodate more patients while limiting the number of people in our clinics at one time. We are also rearranging our waiting rooms to encourage physical distancing. Additionally, we are placing floor decals to indicate how to stay at a safe distance from others in our clinics.
Enhanced Hand Hygiene
We’ve installed additional hand sanitizing stations and signage to encourage hand hygiene for all staff, patients, and visitors.
More Telehealth Options
As part of our effort to extend health services to those most vulnerable to COVID-19, we are pleased to provide telehealth appointments for both new and current patients. These visits allow us to improve our patient’s health from a safe distance with real-time, interactive communication between the patient and our team. In addition to telehealth visits with our orthopaedic providers, we are now offering telehealth options for physical therapy patients.
Limiting Non-Patient Visitors
In order to minimize interactions with patients, clinicians or staff, we are rerouting all individuals who are not patients or employees (including vendors, educators, service providers, etc.) from arriving during normal office hours,
If you have health concerns beyond orthopaedic care, we strongly suggest you talk with your primary care provider. We continue to encourage our patients and employees to follow recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
If you become ill for any reason, regardless of whether you were exposed to COVID-19, please contact our office to reschedule your appointment. We will help you reschedule your appointment without penalty when you are healthy.
