COVID-19 Office Updates

Updated: November 1, 2022

Thank you for your patience as we continue to evaluate the best way for us to see patient’s for needed appointments in the oﬃce while also trying to make sure our patient’s and our staﬀ remain safe and healthy as we try to balance the real risks of exposing you and your child to other patients, staﬀ and providers during each stage of the pandemic. As the CDC, OSHA and the NC Health Department adjusts guidelines we will adapt as soon as possible.

MASKING POLICY: There have been many changes in masking policy since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Please remember that healthcare settings, such as hospitals and doctors’ oﬃces, have diﬀerent recommendations and guidelines than general public places. Masking is still recommended in healthcare settings and therefore our masking policy remains in eﬀect.

Please remember that masking works best when one wears a well-fitting mask that covers both the mouth and the nose. The more a mask is pulled down or taken off, even to eat or drink, the less eﬀective masking becomes.

Per CDC, OSHA and the NC Health Department, everyone age 2 and above should wear a mask when entering the building and at all times while at Carolina Pediatrics. Thank you for your understanding.

We will continue to monitor for policy changes and update our policy when and if recommendations change.

What we are still doing:

Appointments:
- The on-call doctors continue to see sick patients only on the blue hall to try and separate sick patients from well visits as much as possible
- To try and meet patient needs for more sick visit appointments, other doctors will work in sick visits. These doctors will have a dedicated room for sick visits so checkups will not be placed in a room where a sick patient had been previously
- Exam rooms are thoroughly cleaned during the lunch hour to try and further minimize any exposures
- We encourage remote check-in while you remain in your car once you arrive at the oﬃce
- Our medical assistants will try to meet you as soon as you enter the building and then directly take you to the examination room
- At the end of the visit, you may leave the building. All billing and collections will be done remotely.
- We are working on a way for patients’ and their families to schedule their next appointment before they leave while also making sure we do not have a crowded check out area.
- Tele-medicine appointments can be made for appropriate indications with a doctor’s approval.
- We screen all patients with appointments for Covid infections, pending Covid tests and significant Covid exposure.
- We oﬀer curbside visits when clinically indicated based on Covid status and exposure

Infection Control:
- We follow the recommended CDC, OSHA and NC Health Department guidelines. These guidelines may diﬀer from the state guidelines due to our status as a medical facility.
- Our staﬀ and physicians do not enter the building if they have Covid-19 symptoms and will be tested when any symptoms or significant exposures
- All visitors to our oﬃce are screened before entering our oﬃce
- We follow the CDC recommendations for environmental cleaning and infection control. Currently, our oﬃce is professionally cleaned both mid-day and at the end of the day.
- We follow a Universal Face Covering policy for individuals 2 years of age and over. This applies to all visitors, employees, physicians, staﬀ, patients and family members regardless of vaccination status. CDC and OSHA have not released healthcare facilities from this protocol.
- We continue to discourage walk-in
- We follow CDC and OSHA recommendations for PPE for our staﬀ and physicians.

COVID TESTING:

Depending on your child’s symptoms and/or possible exposures, we can utilize several methods of testing for COVID
We are not a mass testing site and our capacity for testing in our oﬃce is limited to our available appointment slots which are preferentially reserved for sick patients.
When necessary, families interested in COVID testing may be directed to the available community sites.
Our current options for COVID testing include:
- We can do rapid COVID antigen testing in our oﬃce
- We can collect samples for Covid-19 PCR testing if The PCR samples are currently picked up and run by an outside lab
- We also sometimes will refer patients to NCDHHS approved testing
- Sometimes, depending on staﬃng, we can oﬀer screening tests for camps, sports, and colleges. Please contact our oﬃce for questions

COVID VACCINATION:

Currently, the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines are approved for patients 6 months of age and older. We recommend the vaccine for eligible patients. If there are questions about the COVID vaccine, please talk to your doctor.
We recommend Omicron specific boosters for patients 5 years and older if they have completed the original series. We do not currently have the Omicron specific booster available.
We are currently offering the COVID vaccine primary series for 6 month and up. Please call our office to schedule.
Currently, patients can get COVID vaccinations at community pharmacies – vaccine appointments are widely available. You can also visit ConeHealth.com or StarMed.com to find available vaccine appointments.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Notify us when you arrive, using the remote check-in link. Remain in your car throughout the check in process.
Begin to enter the building only when prompted to do so. Please be prepared to leave your car as soon as you complete the check-in process. Our medical assistants will be ready to escort you to the exam room as soon as you are notified that we are ready.
Please try to remain 6 feet apart when entering and exiting the building
Please complete all screening tools PRIOR to your appointment. You will receive these screening tools through our check-in Phreesia interface. This will help streamline the process and minimize your wait.
For well visits: If your child has developed any sick symptoms, please contact our oﬃce prior to their appointment time as we may to reschedule or at least make sure we have your child in an appropriate room as we try to best separate sick and well patients.
Try to bring forms that need completion to the oﬃce visit and notify the medical assistant that you have forms that need completion. If you need forms completed outside of an appointment, please call our oﬃce for instructions on drop oﬀ.
If you do not have a portal account yet, this is a great time to get one set up. If you need help, call us and ask for Tammy Hill, our Family Liaison, to help you set it up