Dear Patients,
We hope that you and your family are in good health. As a valued member of our patient community, we appreciate the trust you place in us and want to inform you about how we are addressing the corona virus (COVID-19) situation and the gradual re-opening phase of our medical practice.
We are closely monitoring events in our local community and are continuously updating our policies and protocols as a result of new information. Please know that our office is following all recommended guidance from public health authorities, including best practices for hygiene and infection control. We are committed to your health and safety.
We want to tell you about some of the infection control procedures we have implemented in order to keep patients and staff safe:
- Our staff will be asking several screening questions regarding your health. We ask that you do not enter our office if you, or someone in your family, or someone you recently were in contact with, has exhibited flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, severe muscle aches, shaking chills, or recent loss of taste or smell, or recently diagnosed with COVID19.
- We are asking that patients limit the number of people accompanying them to an appointment. No visitors (including children) will be allowed to accompany each patient unless a specific patient needs extra support. We encouraged visitors to remain closely connected to their loved ones through virtual means, including Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp, and/or phone.
- Please bring essential personal items only to the appointment.
- Appointment times have been rescheduled and will be managed to allow for social distancing and avoid overlapping between patients. Please be patient with our administrative staff as it might mean that you are offered fewer options for scheduling your next appointment.
- We will give our patients the option of waiting in their car or just outside the office instead of the waiting area. Our staff can call you when you are ready to be seen.
- Our goal is to avoid waiting in the waiting room as much as possible and try to bring every patient back to the exam room as quickly as possible.
- Our waiting room chairs have been rearranged and blocked off to maintain social distancing. You may also see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, and reading books, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
- We kindly request that your wear a face-mask upon entering the facility. Our staff and clinicians will also be wearing masks. We will be checking temperature of staff and patients upon arrival.
- Every examination room is extensively cleaned after each patient. This includes wiping all surfaces with an EPA-registered disinfectant (exam chair, counter-top, other chairs, equipment, doorknob…)
- All areas of our office continue to undergo nightly professional cleaning, sanitizing and sterilization of equipment.
- Staff are washing their hands or using an alcohol based sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol between each patient encounter.
- We offer hand sanitizer throughout the office and remind you to use these or wash your hands when you enter the office.
- Telehealth – To continue with our efforts with social distancing in these difficult times, we are also offering many types of appointments, that don’t necessarily require a traditional physical exam, a telehealth option.
We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we have taken take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice.
Sincerely,
Advanced Eye Surgeons
Resumption of Elective Surgery
Our surgical centers (Baptist Outpatient Surgery Center, Surgery Center of Weston) have officially resumed performing elective procedures and surgeries.
These facilities have done a lot of thorough planning to make it possible for the gradual resumption of elective procedures in order to maintain social distancing measures as well as to accommodate enhanced cleaning and sanitation protocols.
If you had a planned surgery postponed due to the pandemic, please call our surgical coordinator to reschedule your procedure.
Kira Rowe