Social distancing best practices for private practice physicians
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed reality for all of us, and that includes private practice physicians. As states are revising the COVID-19 executive orders that were put into effect at the start of the outbreak and allowing private medical practices to start offering non-urgent and elective services and procedures, keeping your patients safe should be a top priority.
As such, private practice physicians should implement the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guidance on social distancing to prevent the community spread of COVID-19 which includes maintaining a distance of approximately 6 feet between people and preventing crowds.1 According to Michelle Strowhiro, JD, applying best practices for social distancing in a physician’s office takes a lot of planning and coordination.
Observing social distancing also involves limiting physical contact with patients. Therefore, consider using telehealth to treat patients. In addition, consider allowing administrative and back-office employees to work remotely to further limit contact between your office staff and your patients.
Where to start
The most logical place to start practicing social distancing is in the waiting room area. To limit the number of patients in the waiting room at any given time, have them register for their appointment and then wait for their turn to see you or your nurse practitioner in the car. When scheduling patients, make sure that they are told about these policies or by phone the day before the appointment.
Observing good social distancing practices in the waiting room may mean extending your hours of operation. A longer day is taxing on physicians, nurses, and other staff so you may have to reduce the number of patients you see each day.
Another concern for physician practices that are located in the same office building with other businesses is protecting patients as well as protecting staff by working with the landlord or property management company to reduce access to the building and increase awareness about the practice’s presence.
This is especially important if your office shares a common area, such as a lobby or bathrooms, with other tenants in the building. You should increase the use of signs to let visitors to the building know that your practice is located in the building and coordinate the cleaning and disinfecting of common areas with other tenants and the building manager.
Keeping your patients healthy
Until there is a vaccine for COVID-19, employing the strategies described above will be the new normal. However, there is one constant that won’t change and that is your commitment to keeping patients healthy, whether it’s through televisits or applying social distancing principles for office appointments.
Another way to help keep your patients healthy is to offer high-quality private label supplements for purchase as a part of your practice. Green Leaf Sciences allows physicians to buy supplements in bulk for resale so you can feel confident that your patients are getting a quality product.
References
1 Social Distancing — Keep Your Distance to Slow the Spread, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) .
NOTE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have not reviewed or approved the above article.