Dear Patient,
Adult and Pediatric ENT is dedicated to providing the highest quality care that we can during the current climate of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our primary concern is the health and wellbeing of our patients as well as that of our staff. That means that we will be seeing patients in our office who need to be seen in person. We have implemented telemedicine as part of our practice and it works quite well. Nothing, however, can compare with the detailed physical exam that is often needed to determine the proper diagnosis. We have adapted our practice to the current environment and ask that you help us to provide the safest care possible and to protect our doctors and our staff. With that in mind, we have implemented the following guidelines based upon guidance from the CDC.
All patients age 3 and over must bring and wear a mask the entire time they are in the office. Cloth home-made masks are acceptable. We have a very limited supply for our staff and cannot provide masks. Any patient who arrives without a mask will be turned away and rescheduled to a later appointment. Here is a link to how to make a No-Sew mask at home: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html
- When you arrive, only the patient should enter the building. Family members should wait in the car unless the patient is a minor or needs special assistance. If the patient is a child, only one parent is permitted to accompany them. Please do not bring other children to the appointment
- You will be greeted in the waiting room by a medical assistant who will check your temperature and will ask if you have had recent fever, cough, shortness of breath or loss of sense of smell. We ask that if the answer to any of those questions is yes, that you please stay home and reschedule your appointment or make an appointment via Telemedicine. If you do have a fever, your appointment will be rescheduled.
- No one will stay in our waiting room. Please complete any paperwork prior to arrival or in your car.
- New patients must do their intake paperwork ahead of time. If this is not possible, you must arrive at least 30 minutes before the appointment time and fill out paperwork in your car.
- All of our staff and our doctors will be wearing masks in the office.
- We are performing diligent hand washing and extra cleaning precautions
- Telemedicine appointments will still be available for higher risk patients and for routine follow up issues (like test results, etc).
We appreciate your patience and understanding in these trying times. We are hopeful that with continued diligence and care we will be able to continue providing the healthcare that our community needs.
Sincerely,
Drs. Shapiro, Ashby and Berry
