Coffee Regional COVID-19 Office/Outpatient Protocols

  1. Staff to “phone triage” patient day before visit and at check in. If respiratory symptoms especially with high risk conditions, or travel to affected areas, or on recent cruises: give mask, notify provider and direct to approved offices/sequestered exam rooms/vehicle to wait, not to be in waiting room with healthy patients.

     

  2. Telemedicine visits whenever possible. Separate email instructions from CBO to follow.

     

  3. No visitors, unless medically necessary for assisting the visit (e.g., elderly or pediatric) and then only one healthy visitor and > 18 old (otherwise can wait in vehicle).

     

  4. No pharmaceutical/medical reps past reception. Encourage them to leave samples at front desk.

     

  5. Every patient must be registered for Portal and use it as much as possible.

     

  6. Healthy patients may wait in car or split well/sick patient visit times. Consider designated “sick” offices (old Neuro office is open) if more cases develop.

     

  7. Healthy post-op patients with no complaints and whose sutures or surgical clips have already been removed can have those post-op visits deferred or done by phone with a nurse or provider.

     

  8. Well visits deferred or by telemedicine but please refill meds by phone/Portal.

     

  9. Daily inventory of office PPE.

     

  10. Testing locations: hospital parking lot (must have PUI # from website https://sendss.state.ga.us/sendss/!dynamicsurvey.surveypublicprompt?pQATemplateId=12698)

     

  11. Symptomatic employees to stay home.

     

  12. Task force requests that HR review benefits for employees who may contract COVID-19 on the job.

     

  13. Additional enhanced room sanitizing measures.

     

  14. Frequent staff hand washing.

     

  15. Staff to wear N95 mask/eye protection/gloves only if patient is symptomatic or for specimen collection. At their request, staff can wear basic surgical masks and other PPE.

     

  16. No student clinical rotations.

     

  17. Daily morning coordinator briefings.

References

AAFP.com
Northeast Georgia Health System
The Longstreet Clinic
CDC.com
Washington University
University Healthcare Augusta
Georgia DPH
The Potomac Center for Medical Education and Rockpointe