COVID Information

Patients and Visitors – COVID-19

Download PreOp Self Isolation Instructions

Prescreening Patients

During the pre-operative telephone interview patients will be asked a series of questions to assess their risk of having the coronavirus disease (questionnaire attached) – if the patient answers ‘yes’ to any of the questions, and it is determined that any present symptoms are acute onset, as opposed to allergy-related, then the patient will be instructed to reschedule their procedure and follow up with their primary care provider.
On the day prior to their procedure, the patient will be called with their arrival time. The patient will also be given the coronavirus questionnaire again – if the patient answers ‘yes’ to any of the questions, and it is determined that any present symptoms are acute onset, as opposed to allergy-related, then the patient will be instructed to reschedule their procedure and follow up with their primary care provider.
On the day of their procedure, all patients will have their temperature taken before going into the waiting room, and be given the coronavirus questionnaire – if their temperature is 100.4 or greater, or answer ‘yes’ to any of the questions, they will be asked to leave, re-schedule their procedure and call their primary care provider.
- If the patient is clear to enter the facility, they will be given hand sanitizer before going in.

Visitors/Family/Escorts

Any family or escorts that accompany a patient will have their temperature checked and be assessed for any risk of coronavirus disease exposure.
- Family/escorts will be asked to either go home or wait in their car until they receive a call from a nurse that the patient is ready to be picked up – in order to decrease the number of people coming into the waiting room – exceptions would be for a pediatric patient or a patient that requires assistance up until being taken to pre-op. Once these patients are taken back to pre-op, the family/escort will be asked to leave the facility and wait for a phone call from the nurses.
- When family/escort is called to pick up patient, they will be asked to drive around the side of the building to the facility’s awning where a nurse will bring the patient out – exceptions will be for pediatric patients and patients who require further assistance
Visitors (reps, ancillary personnel) will have their temperature checked and be assessed for any risk for coronavirus disease exposure prior to entering the door to the facility

Promote respiratory hygiene by:

Posting signs requesting that patients and family members immediately report symptoms of respiratory illness on arrival to the facility and use cough etiquette.
Posting signs requesting that persons with respiratory illness refrain from visiting the healthcare facility if they are not seeking medical treatment.
Providing masks (upon request), tissues, and alcohol-based hand rubs for waiting areas and patient evaluation areas to facilitate source control. Masks must be worn at all times within the facility.
Providing no-touch receptacles for used tissue disposal.
Ensuring healthcare workers, patients, family members, and visitors on the importance of containing respiratory droplets and secretions to help prevent transmission of infections.

Identify and isolate (send home if possible) any patient or visitors with symptoms.

*In the event of government-mandated shutdowns, the facility will follow interim recommendations and requirements as set forth by the Department of Health, CMS and Ambulatory Surgery Center Association*

Below are current updated CDC recommendations. Please read:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/workplace-school-and-home-guidance.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/community-mitigation-strategy.pdf (particularly page 8)

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/sick-with-2019-nCoV-fact-sheet.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html#risk-assessment

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html