Common Health Clinic Updates to Make During the Pandemic

While healthcare workers are trained to be prepared for any situation, no one could have fully prepared for what the year 2020 had in store. When an international health crisis in the form of COVID-19 struck the globe, the whole world was turned upside down. But nowhere was hit harder than the world of healthcare itself. Suddenly, healthcare providers had to make quick adjustments to help keep people as safe and healthy as possible. Clinics were shifting their operating procedures and doctors and nurses were asked to put their lives on the line to serve their communities. These are some of the true heroes of this pandemic.

Healthcare clinics have undergone a lot of changes during these trying times. With a deadly virus that spreads quickly and silently, it’s been a journey to figure out the best way to keep everyone safe. While the CDC continues to learn more about how to prevent the spread of COVID-19, clinics are following guidelines as they come. If you work at a clinic, these new rules and regulations should be all too familiar to you. Here are just a few of those common adjustments that healthcare clinics have made in light of the pandemic.

Change your check-in process

Normally, when you show up for a doctor’s appointment, you come in the doors and check-in at the front desk. With the pandemic, people aren’t taking those kinds of risks. Most clinics have moved to a remote check-in process and virtual access control. Maybe you’ve implemented a video intercom system with ButterflyMX where patients use an intercom to communicate with the front desk from the main gate or the comfort of their vehicle. This intercom system allows seamless guest access and door entry once everything is safe and secure. That way, no one is sitting in a waiting room with another patient that could transfer the Coronavirus.

Other access control systems may include mobile app check-in, calling when you arrive, or going through a temperature check and screening before you can enter the building. These should be standard building operations with a deadly virus in the air.

Utilize paperless options

While it still isn’t certain how the Coronavirus spreads, it is helpful to minimize items and areas that are touched by multiple people. For this reason, several health clinics have gone paperless. Rather than filling out paperwork when you arrive for treatment, you can log in on a mobile app or website and fill out your information there. This lowers the risk of transferring the virus through items with multiple touch points.

Start using telehealth opportunities

When the virus first started spreading rapidly, everyone was asked to quarantine and remain in their homes. To still get important care out to patients, many healthcare providers started utilizing telehealth opportunities. These involve an access system where doctors and nurses can speak to patients in the comfort of their own home through secure video conferences. This allows patients to stay up to date on medications and care without running the risk of coming into a clinic.

Separate COVID patients from others

For any health clinics caring for COVID-19 patients, it has become common practice to keep those patients separated from others. Most hospitals have a COVID wing to try and keep the other patients safe from this deadly virus. While this may seem harsh, it is helping keep vulnerable patients as safe as possible.

Employ social distancing and mask guidelines

As with any business during this time, health clinics are sticking to CDC guidelines for social distancing and mask-wearing. By keeping a distance of six feet or more between everyone in the clinic, you are staying as safe as possible. This has also limited the number of visitors allowed in at certain times. While these measures may seem drastic, they hopefully won’t be around for much longer.