Discussions and concerns surrounding Coronavirus Disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) continue at the local, state, and national levels. Our practice continues to closely monitor the situation in conjunction with guidance from the New York State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”).
From all of us at Victory Sports Medicine we hope everyone is safe and well. We are following and recommend following the CDC’s guidelines of social distancing, etc. in order to limit exposure to Covid-19 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) | CDC
As many of you already know, on Tuesday 03/17/20, we made a proactive decision to do our part in helping curb the spread of the emerging Covid-19 pandemic. We decided to limit our in-person visits to post-operative patients, post-fractures, anyone finishing up injection series and any urgent issues. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you, but we felt it was best from a medical, scientific and ethical standpoint for the greater good of the community to try to help “flatten the curve” that we have all heard so much about from Drs. Fauci and Birx.
We have been working tirelessly to set up options for our patients as we know pain and musculoskeletal issues do not cease during a pandemic. We are pleased to announce we are offering orthopedic and physical therapy Telehealth visits to patients. Most insurances have stepped up, done their part and have agreed to allow us to offer these services. Most insurances will cover these like they normally would as an in-office visit and many have kindly waived copays and deductibles. We began offering these services on Monday 03/23/20 and over the following week, in a limited fashion, to try to iron out any “kinks”. Over the past two weeks, we have been contacting patients to inform them that these services are now available. The response to the visits has been overwhelmingly positive and most have gone extremely well, although, as with any new technology, there can always be some technical “hiccups” with the audio and/or visual. However, that has been rare so far. If you would like to partake in a Telehealth visit, we would be happy to set up a date and time that is convenient for you. A smart phone or ideally a computer with a video camera is needed for these services. We are using all measures to protect your privacy as well as ensure we are HIPPA compliant with these telehealth visits. For those of you who do not have a smart phone or video capable computer, we also offer telephone visits which can also be very effective and which are also being covered by most insurances, including Workers’ Compensation.
We are still open for limited in office visits. For those of you who do require an in-office visit, we assure you that we are taking as many steps as possible to limit exposure. When patients arrive at our office we are asking that you wait in your car, call the office 315-685-7544, and one of our staff members will come out to take your temperature, ask about your recent travel history and screen you for any other symptoms. Our staff are screened for their temperature and symptoms every day upon arrival to work as well.
As a medical office, we have always practiced strict standards of cleaning and sanitation every day. We have added even more precautions including extra cleaning and sanitizing of all surfaces, all treatment tables and any equipment being used between patients. This, along with regular cleaning of surfaces that patients and staff may come into direct contact with. We are providing masks and gloves to our medical providers and staff. We are also providing masks for patients as they walk in the office and gloves for physical therapy if they are going to be touching/using any exercise equipment.
Frankly, Covid-19 is likely something that is not going to end in the coming weeks, but more likely, the coming months. With what we know there is a high percentage of probability that this will also rear its ugly head in the coming fall and winter months. As of right now it is expected that somewhere between 40-80% of us could contract the coronavirus, but that number can be much lower if we all do our part, follow and practice these safety guidelines. As things continue to evolve, we are constantly monitoring for any changes we can make to ensure all our safety.
Your health and safety are important to the entire team at Victory Sports Medicine & Orthopedics. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our office and we will be glad to assist you. (315) 685-7544.
Please note, for convenience we have provided some additional references and resources below.
In addition to our daily cleaning efforts, we’re increasing the time spent cleaning and sanitizing our facility, especially in our most frequented areas. We are closely following the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) guidelines and recommendations on the steps we can take to help prevent the spread of the virus.
We are also limiting access to our buildings of any staff, patients, or visitors who show undiagnosed signs or symptoms of illness.
We want to thank you for choosing us for your care. We are monitoring this situation and will modify as conditions evolve locally. We want to thank you for your support and understanding during a rapidly evolving situation as we make every effort to support our patients, employees and the communities we serve.
