During this uncertain time, Associated Oral Surgeons is taking steps to ensure that the health and safety of our patients and staff are a top priority. We are following recommendations from government agencies as we continue to learn more about COVID-19. As of now, our office will remain open, but we have implemented the following preventative measures.
As a precaution to minimize the spread of disease and to protect our patients and staff, we may be contacting patients prior to their scheduled appointment to do a telephone health screening.
- Patients that have fever, cough, respiratory type issues, or have traveled to a high-risk area within the last 14 days will be asked to reschedule.
- Elderly at-risk patients, as well as patients who have other medical conditions such as lung disease, diabetes, or are immunosuppressed, will be asked to call us from their car when they arrive for their appointment. We will give them further instruction once they arrive.
- We also respect any patient’s decision, regardless of age or health, to stay home to reduce the risk of exposure. For most treatments, we can provide a phone consultation and will utilize this service heavily as a means to provide quality care while minimizing patient visits to our facilities.
To reduce the number of people in our busy waiting room and encourage social distancing, we are implementing the following:
- For sedation patients, we ask that you only bring one driver with you to your procedure (for patients under 18, this must be one parent/guardian). The driver will be asked to wait in the car until your procedure is finished. We also ask that you avoid bringing a driver that has had a fever, cough, or respiratory type issue within the last 14 days.
- For all adult (over age 18) patients who are not being sedated, we ask you to come alone to your appointment. Any patient under the age of 18 should plan on ONLY ONE parent/guardian with them during the appointment.
We kindly ask when you arrive for your appointment, that you wash or sanitize your hands. As a safety precaution, our front desk team may ask you and your driver again if you have exhibited any signs of illness or have traveled recently. Our surgeons and staff may also avoid unnecessary direct contact while greeting patients as a means of decreasing possible transmission.
We will continue to maintain our high standards for infection control. This includes but is not limited to disinfecting patient rooms between every patient and regular disinfection of workspaces and our waiting room. We also are requiring all staff (surgeons included) to stay home if they show any signs of illness. Return to work may not occur before staff are symptom free and have been formally tested as virus free.
We are hoping that these newly implemented precautions will help us do our part to help minimize any spread of disease. As the COVID-19 outbreak is still a fluid situation, we will continue to closely monitor the situation and data as it becomes available. We will continue adapt as needed to protect our patients and staff and will do our part to communicate those changes in a timely manner. We appreciate everyone’s understanding and cooperation during this time.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to our office if you have any questions or concerns.
