Since reopening in 2013, Sparks Family Medicine (SFM) has retained a consulting company to assist with OSHA compliance and infectious disease control. This company has recommended the following to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases:
- Patients and staff will need to adhere to social distancing guidelines, (six feet between).
- Patients and staff will need to adhere to infection control guidelines including wearing a mask, frequent use of hand sanitizers and disinfecting common areas after each patient.
- SFM will need to be equipped to address the infection control needs of patients.
- Patients with flu or COVID-19 symptoms will be screened through telemedicine and, if necessary, referred to urgent care or the emergency room, as SFM will not function as an acute care facility.
When reopened, SFM will take the following steps to achieve these goals:
- Patients will need to complete a flu/COVID-19 screening questionnaire when scheduling and prior to arrival on the date of their appointment.
- Patients should refrain from bringing companions to their appointments unless absolutely necessary.
- All necessary companions should complete a flu/COVID-19 screening questionnaire when scheduling and prior to arrival on the date of the appointment.
- Patients should refrain from visiting SFM without making prior arrangements.
- Patients and companions will be screened upon arrival for flu/COVID-19 symptoms.
- Any patient who provides a positive response on the questionnaire or shows flu/COVID-19 symptoms (or whose companion does the same) will not be scheduled or seen but referred to urgent care or the emergency room.
- Patients should plan to arrive no more than 10 minutes before their appointment time.
- All patients, companions and staff will wear masks. Cloth masks are approved for patients.
- Consistent with past practices, SFM will try to immediately room patients rather than having patients in the waiting room.
- Hand sanitizer will be readily available for patients and staff throughout the office.
- Following each patient visit, consistent with past practices, the staff will clean and disinfect the exam room.
- Following each patient visit, the staff with clean and disinfect all common areas visited by a patient and/or companion, (waiting room, restroom, etc.).
- Supplements, home lab kits, forms to be completed, etc. should be arranged in advance over the phone so that staff may meet patients at their car to complete the transaction.