Our health care systems are flooded with people who have the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) or are experiencing symptoms and need to get tested. So what should you do if you need to get in to see a doctor for non-COVID-19 reasons? Or what if you or a loved one has a health emergency amid the outbreak?
It’s Patient Experience Week, which celebrates the experience health care providers give their patients every day. The patient experience might look a little differently right now, as health care providers juggle the surge of COVID-19 patients on top of “normal” treatment and care. But here’s what you need to know about how to get the health care you need during a pandemic.
Last month at the White House Task Force press briefing, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recommended delaying all elective surgeries and nonessential procedures. These recommendations were made to try to ease health care professionals’ patient load, so they can focus on managing the pandemic. The Task Force also hoped to free up medical supplies and equipment to avoid shortages, if possible. Rescheduling also supports physical distancing practices, minimizing the number of patients in a waiting room or clinic.
Elective does not necessarily mean optional. An elective surgery or procedure can still be life-changing, but it doesn’t treat or manage something life-threatening. Elective means it is not an emergency and can be scheduled for later—and therefore, rescheduled for later still during COVID-19. Examples of elective surgeries or procedures are knee or hip replacements, cataract surgery or laser surgery for vision correction. Routine appointments also fall under this recommendation. Think eye exams, mammograms, dental check-ups or annual wellness visits.
This month, CMS updated recommendations to allow facilities to start scheduling these delayed elective and nonessential procedures. However, providers are still encouraged to work with local and state public health officials and their leadership and staff to assess their ability to provide different types of care to their patients. They must consider things like: How many current and projected COVID-19 cases are in the area? How much personal protective equipment (PPE) is available to ensure patient and provider safety? How much staff is available to provide care?
Based on these assessments, local providers can decide for themselves when and how to see patients and when to keep or reschedule standing appointments.
The short answer is: It depends.
You may have already been contacted by your health care provider(s) to cancel or postpone any standing appointments. If you have not heard from your provider, make sure you call before going in for the appointment.
If you do not have an appointment, but you would like to talk with your doctor, ask yourself these questions:
For certain chronic conditions or other reasons, your doctor may want to see you in person. Providers are changing their procedures to increase patient safety and reduce your risk for exposure to COVID-19. If you are headed to a face-to-face visit, ask the person scheduling your appointment whether you should use a different entrance and about other changes you can expect when you get there. To stay safe while you’re at the office or clinic:
If a health care emergency happens, of course you need to get care. Call 911 or go to the hospital’s emergency department. If you can, try to call before you leave or when you are on your way to let them know you’re coming. Reasons you should go to the emergency room include:
Hospitals have also made accommodations, especially to keep people with COVID-19 separate from other patients. They are also limiting visitors. Be prepared to cooperate with any new steps they’ve taken to ensure your safety.
If you have Medicare and would like more information, including Medicare coverage for telehealth services, visit the Medicare.gov coronavirus webpage. This page also includes general information that is useful to people without Medicare.
Developed by Mountain-Pacific Quality Health, the Medicare Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) for Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific Territories of Guam and American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy. 12SOW-MPQHF-AS-CC-20-21
No Current Comments