Blessing Health System issued the following announcement on May 6.
A visit to any Blessing Physician Services (BPS) and Hannibal Clinic doctor or nurse practitioner’s office is now a different experience as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional safety steps are in place to protect patients and staff, beginning before the patient reaches the office.
BPS and Hannibal Clinic staff place a phone call to each patient the day before their appointment. During the BPS call, pre-registration questions are asked to reduce the time spent on appointment day at the registration desk. During the Hannibal Clinic call, staff answers questions the patient may have about the visit and pre-screens the patient for symptoms that would require the appointment to be rescheduled.
Additionally, the floors in front of the registration desks at BPS and Hannibal Clinic locations are marked so patients can easily maintain social distancing and Plexiglas barriers provide protection between patients and registration staff.
Staff will do its best to schedule patients so they can go directly to an examination room, rather than sit in the waiting room. If the waiting room must be used, the furniture is now spread at least 6 feet apart to promote social distancing and magazines and common pens will not be available to reduce the risk for virus transmission.
Another obvious difference is all patients and employees are wearing masks.
“While virtual medical visits grew in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic and will remain a convenient option, face-to-face visits between healthcare providers and patients will not be replaced,” said Scott Koelliker, Executive Vice President, Blessing Physician Services. “We simply took additional steps to increase safety for all involved.”
“There is a significant difference in what a provider can see by looking in a patient’s eyes in the office setting and what they can see during a virtual visit. The office setting also allows the provider to hear the patient’s heart and lungs, as well as do a hands-on physical exam when needed. These are important aspects of helping a patient manage their health.”
Koelliker added that people who are not yet signed up as members of the digital patient portal will be encouraged to do so they can receive their visit summary and appointment notices electronically rather than on paper to reduce infection risks. BPS and Hannibal Clinic are also in the process of developing online forms for registration, so patients will not need to complete any paperwork at the registration desk in the future.
Finally, in Quincy and Hannibal, Blessing will continue to maintain its Flu-Like Illness Screening Centers for adults and for children until further notice so patients with respiratory issues can be seen separately from other patients.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Blessing Health System
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