Keeping You Safe While Getting You the Care You Need

Note: Please refer to our post “What Your Doctor Wants You to Know About Coronavirus (COVID-19)” for more information about COVID-19 prevention and symptoms, and for guidance on what you should do if you think you may have the virus.

The spread of COVID-19 around the world has rightly focused a lot of attention on preventing and treating this dangerous viral infection. But while COVID-19 is a serious public health emergency, it’s also important that you and your family continue to receive the other preventative and therapeutic care you need for your health and wellness.

That’s why we’ve enhanced our already strict procedures to prevent the spread of germs and diseases, including but not limited to COVID-19. And it’s why we’re offering telehealth virtual visits and remote patient monitoring, where appropriate, so you can receive personalized care from the safety and convenience of your home.

Keeping You Safe

Even in ordinary times, all United Physician Group practices follow rigorous best practices to protect our patients and healthcare providers from the spread of infection and disease. During the COVID-19 crisis, we’re doing more than ever to keep everyone safe.

Disinfecting

In order to keep every United Physician Group facility sanitized and safe, we are:

• Using disinfectant cleaning solutions recommended by the CDC to wipe down all surfaces.
• Disinfecting every exam room thoroughly after every patient.
• Disinfecting all chairs, exam tables, and high touch areas such as door knobs multiple times per day.

Screening

As usual, we’re making reminder calls 48 hours prior to each patient’s appointment. During those calls, we’re now:

• Asking patients screening questions to assess any symptoms of or exposure to COVID-19 and converting all affected patients to telehealth virtual visits. 
• Making sure anyone who has an elevated risk of carrying the virus gets appropriate care and monitoring, and…
• Either rescheduling their original appointment or converting it to a telehealth virtual visit.

When patients arrive for their appointments — and before they enter the building to check in — we’re:

• Taking their temperatures.
• Asking them the same screening questions.

Distancing and Limiting Contact

We’re taking several measures to prevent patients from coming into close contact with one another:

• Scheduling fewer appointments so that fewer patients are in our facilities at any one time.
• Re-arranging our waiting rooms to keep everyone at least six feet apart.
• Quickly bringing patients back to private exam rooms.

We’re also offering parking lot visits, where appropriate. Your doctor and nurse will come out to your car and stay six feet away from you, so you never have to enter the facility.

Telehealth Virtual Visits and Remote Patient Monitoring

We’ve also expanded our telehealth services, including virtual visits and remote patient monitoring. Using video conferences, remote testing and monitoring, and our patient portal, we’re able to:

• Make initial assessments of patient health and healthcare needs.
• Conduct many routine follow-up visits.
• Manage and monitor chronic disease testing and care.
• Refill and monitor prescriptions. 

Telehealth isn’t appropriate for all conditions and concerns, and we’re still asking all new patients to come in for their first visits. However, in many cases telehealth allows us to provide good care remotely while protecting you from any potential exposure to disease.

Whether you’re at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 or just not comfortable coming into the office, telehealth is one more way that we’re working every day to give you the best in personalized care.

If you’re interested in a telehealth visit, please contact your United Physician Group provider for more information.

The Care You Need

These are difficult times we’re all going through, but we’ll get through this together with proper precautions, a little technological assistance, and the expertise of your neighborhood United Physician Group doctors.

Don’t let fear of COVID-19 keep you from receiving the personalized care that will help you stay healthy and well. Whether you’re feeling sick, experiencing chronic pain, or due for a check-up or screening, get the care you need by scheduling an appointment. Contact your United Physician Group provider today.