COVID-19 and MBO Telehealth Program News and Information
PLEASE NOTE: For the safety of our patients and staff, if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, we are kindly asking that you reschedule your appointment until your symptoms have resolved. Thank you for your understanding.
November 20th
COVID-19 Update
As the spread of COVID-19 continues to be a factor within our communities, Mercer-Bucks Orthopaedics understands our patients concerns with keeping their scheduled office appointments. We want to assure you we continue to follow the most stringent guidelines to keep our staff and patients safe in all of our locations, however we also know that it is in the best interest of some of our patients to remain home to avoid any unnecessary interactions.
In order to continue our mission to keep our patients safe and healthy, yet still provide the highest quality of care, we want to remind our patients we offer telehealth visits. We have recently changed our telehealth platform in order to provide easier accessibility. This telehealth service is also a well-established HIPAA -compliant virtual visit platform that can be used on any device that has a camera and microphone, but now it's just a matter of clicking a link to be connected to your physician or therapist.
If you feel that a virtual visit would be best for you and you would like more information on it, please call our office at 855-896-0444 to speak with one of our team members who can direct you on the best way to schedule an appointment or click here and request an appointment online and in the section titled "Purpose for your visit" please indicate that you are interested in a Telehealth appointment.
We hope that this additional service provides you with some peace of mind at this time. Our physicians want you to know we are here for you and hope you all remain safe and healthy.
June 11th
Watch our Patient Experience Virtual Tours
Does visiting our offices during this pandemic make you hesitate? We understand. That is why we have created virtual walk throughs of what you can expect when you come to one of our offices. We want you to see for yourself what new measures have been implemented so that it gives you peace of mind when visiting for a physician appointment or a therapy session. Know we are here and doing all we can to keep you safe and healthy.
May 22nd
Patient Testimonial
I was very nervous about my checkup appointment post hip replacement surgery. Because of the Covid19 mess that we are all dealing with, I was a little leery about having an appointment today. But there was no reason for that! I was checked in downstairs and had my temp taken and I washed with hand sanitizer. I was given a sticker with my information and then proceeded upstairs to see Dr. Willis. Check in was super easy, no touch screens for check in, and I filled out my questionnaire. I didn't have to wait long and felt completely taken care of and safe while I was in the office. I had x-rays done of my new hips (hurray!) and that also went incredibly easily! I have always enjoyed (?) my appointments with MBO at Langhorne and there was no reason for me to be worried about safety or what could be happening to me. Thank you all for taking such good care of us as patients. Please keep safe in the coming days!!!
May 22nd
COVID-19 update
Beginning June 1, 2020 all of the MBO office locations will be open and fully staffed and operational. We will continue to adhere to all safety precautions and protocols as recommended by the CDC including:
- Questionnaire Screenings: Patients are screened both at the time of making an appointment in addition to their arrival into our office. Patients are reminded the day before their appointments to let us know if they have any signs of a fever, significant cough, and/or flu-like symptoms such as body aches, headache, weakness and/or fatigue. If a patients is exhibiting any of these signs, their appointment will be cancelled at that time. They will be instructed to call their primary care physician and to reschedule their appointment when they are symptom-free and cleared by their PCP.
- Limitations on patient accompaniment: Patients will be asked to come to their appointments alone, or limit accompaniment to 1 person if necessary. Necessary exceptions include those who are elderly, immobile, or a minor. All visitors aside from the above exceptions will be instructed to remain in their vehicles.
- Social distancing in waiting areas: Patients in the waiting room shall sit at least 6 feet apart from one another. If there is not enough room for patients in the waiting area, patients will be asked to wait in their vehicles after check-in and will be notified when the provider is ready for them.
- Social distancing in patient areas: Our staff has also been instructed to practice social distancing from each other when possible.
- Appointment spacing: Appointments will be spaced out to help minimize overlapping of too many patients in an area at one time.
- Disinfection of check-in area: iPads, clipboards and frequently touched counter tops in the check-in area will be cleaned and wiped between each patient. In addition, each patient will be offered a clean pen. After use, pens will be cleaned with approved antiseptic agents before being distributed for use again.
- Removal of items in waiting area: . All common reading materials (magazines etc.) have been removed from our waiting areas.
- Disinfection of patient area: All door handles and counter tops in patient rooms will be wiped clean with antiseptic agents after every patient.
- Face masks are MANDATORY: Employees and anyone entering our offices MUST wear some type of facial cloth mask cover. Due to shortages of PPE (personal protective equipment), we are unable to provide masks to patients or visitors at this time.
- Patient hand washing: Patients will be encouraged to wash their hands thoroughly upon arrival and departure from our offices.
- Employee hand washing: All staff members are required to thoroughly wash their hands before and after each patient encounter.
- Employee testing: All employees reporting to duty are required to take their own temperature and log it in a book upon arrival to the office.
The health and safety of our patients and staff are always our top priority. As we continue to navigate through this pandemic, please know we continue to offer options to you. In addition to offering in-person office visits to all our patients, we are also providing a triage service, where you can call into the office and speak with one of our physician assistants to discuss your condition. During this call, the physician assistant can determine if it is necessary for you to be seen in the office or if they can provide you with recommendations to manage your condition until you are able to be seen in person at a later date. They may also recommend a telehealth visit.
Our telehealth visits are virtual visits designed for you to communicate with one of our physicians or therapists online via a computer, tablet, smart phone; essentially any device with a camera and microphone. It is a great alternative if you are unable to be seen in the office. For more information on telehealth visits, click here.
To schedule an appointment, call our office at 855-896-0444 or request an appointment on line here and one of our team members will call you to get you scheduled.
The physical therapists and occupational therapists at MBO will also be fully staffed and operational on June 1, 2020!
Our team of therapists adhere to each of the above guidelines as recommended by all the health organizations. However, they have a few additional precautionary measures as well.
All stations and gym equipment are sanitized after each patient use.
Due to the limited capacity of the therapy rooms and the need for the therapists and patients to move around those areas, they are limiting the number of patients in the treatment gym to allow for proper social distancing from patient to patient and therapist to therapist.
To maintain these proper social distancing guidelines and still accommodate the number of patients needed to be seen, the therapy department has extended their hours. However, they ask for flexibility in appointment scheduling from our patients on the day and timing of their sessions. Our goal is to allow our patients to get the therapy they need in the safest environment possible. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.
Our therapists also offer virtual visits as well as home exercise programs for certain conditions. Just call our office for more information!
From all of us at MBO, we continue to wish you health and safety during this time.
May 18th
COVID-19 update
Mercer County Surgery Center continues to perform URGENT elective surgical cases. Per the announcement of Governor Murphy, we will open up to ALL elective procedural and surgical cases starting May 26, 2020.
Safety Precautions Matter
Our center has always adhered to both state and federal infection control requirements, but they become even more important during a world wide pandemic.
Because your safety is always our main concern, we have implemented additional infection prevention measures to provide you, as well as our physicians and staff, with a safe clinical environment for your procedure.
- Telephone screenings of all our patients prior to their appointment.
- Additional questionnaire screenings upon arrival of the patient and anyone accompanying the patient to our center.
- All patients and visitors will get a temperature and blood oxygen level reading at check-in.
- Limiting visitors to one person per patient while recommending that the visitors remain outside the center until the patient is ready to leave.
- Appointments will be staggered to limit the number of people in our waiting area at one time.
- All who enter the building MUST wear a mask and have their temperature taken and recorded including all patients, visitors, healthcare providers, staff, sales representative and maintenance providers.
- Enhanced PPE for all healthcare providers as recommended by the AAOS, CDC, ASGE.
- An increased frequency of disinfection rounds to clean all common, frequently touch surface areas.
- The staff will also be practicing social distancing when possible.
- There are hand sanitizers and tissues in all patient care areas.
May 1st
COVID-19 update
At Mercer-Bucks Orthopaedics we are so grateful to our employees for their continued work to help those in need.
Our MBO employees have risen to the challenge of going to work every day, taking care of our patients and doing it with a smile on their faces and kindness in their hearts. They honestly want to be here to help you with your orthopedic concerns.
Thank you MBO Team, you are truly one of a kind.
Do you have an orthopedic emergency?
Our offices are open and able to accommodate any orthopedic need. Your condition may require that you come to our office to be evaluated in person or via our telehealth program where you can have an appointment virtually without leaving your home.
How do you know if you need to be seen? We have gone one step further for you and now offer a triage service so when you call the office, you speak with one of our physician assistants and they can determine if an in-office visit is necessary. This offers you peace of mind knowing a medical professional is providing you the best possible options specific to your needs.
To reach our office call: 855-896-0444 or request an appointment online.
We Listen...We Care
As we proceed day by day through this Covid-19 pandemic, the safety of our patients, staff and providers are of the utmost importance. Therefore we continue to take the necessary precautionary measures and to do our part to help prevent the spread of this virus. Please review these guidelines prior to your visit.
- A screening questionnaire will be conducted: Patients are screened both at the time of scheduling an appointment in addition to their arrival into our office. Patients are reminded the day before their appointments to let us know if they have any signs of a fever, significant cough, and/or flu-like symptoms such as body aches, headache, weakness and/or fatigue. If a patient is exhibiting any of these signs, their appointment will be cancelled, they will be instructed to call their primary care physician and to reschedule their appointment when they are symptom-free and cleared by their PCP.
Limitations on patient accompaniment: Patients will be asked to come to their appointments alone, or limit accompaniment to 1 person if necessary. Necessary exceptions include those who are elderly, immobile, or a minor. All visitors aside from the above exceptions will be instructed to remain in their vehicles. - Practice social distancing: Patients in the waiting room shall sit at least 6 feet apart from one another. If there is not enough room for patients in the waiting area, patients will be asked to wait in their vehicles after check-in and will be notified when the provider is ready for them.
- Our staff has also been instructed to practice social distancing from each other.
- Appointments will be spaced out to help minimize overlapping of too many patients at one time.
- iPads will be wiped down in between every patient use with antiseptic agents.
- Each patient will be offered a clean pen. After use, pens will be cleaned with approved antiseptic agents before being distributed for use again.
- Clipboards and countertops will be cleaned and wiped between each patient.
- Door handles and office countertops in patient rooms will be wiped clean with antiseptic agents after EVERY patient.
- Employees and anyone entering our offices MUST wear some type of facial cloth mask cover. Due to shortages of PPE, we are unable to provide masks to patients or visitors at this time.
- All common reading materials (magazines etc.) have been removed from our waiting areas.
- All employees reporting to duty are required to take their own temperature and log it in a book upon arrival to the office.
- Patients will be encouraged to wash their hands thoroughly upon arrival and departure from our offices.
- All staff members are required to thoroughly wash their hands before and after each patient encounter.
We hope these measures give you peace of mind knowing that we are doing all we can to protect you and our staff. Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call one of MBO's team members at 855-896-0444.
We continue wishes of good health and safety to each of you!
April 9th
COVID-19 update
We Listen...We Care
Help Us...Help You
At Mercer-Bucks Orthopaedics, our first concern is always our patients. We hope that this newsletter finds you and your families safe and healthy. As we continue to move through the COVID-19 pandemic, we also continue to receive questions from our patients. We would like to help keep you informed. Following is a quick summary of some of the questions our staff and operations are receiving:
Q: Are we continuing to see patients in our offices?
A: Yes. MBO is deemed essential by the Department of Health. Therefore our physicians, physician assistants and therapists continue to see patients in our offices.
Q: Are you providing safeguards to patients when in your offices?
A: Yes. We continue to follow all protocols and procedures recommended by the CDC and the Department of Health in both NJ and PA. These include:
- Questionnaire Screenings to all patients and their visitors.
- Only 10 people are allowed in our waiting areas at one time. Others will be asked to wait in the car until they are called for their appointment.
- Enhanced sanitation and cleaning processes between each patient.
- Our staff is following all CDC guidelines related to wearing personal protective equipment during patient contact.
- Anyone entering our offices are required to wear face masks.
Q: Are you mandating that patients wear face masks for their appointments?
A: Yes. According to the new CDC guidelines and for the safety of all of our patients and staff, we ask that everyone entering our offices wear a face mask.
Please note: as a result of a continued nationwide shortage of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) we are unable to provide our patients face masks. If you are unable to acquire a face mask prior to your next office visit, please call our office to reschedule your in-office appointment or consider scheduling a telehealth appointment. We sincerely apologize that we cannot provide these items due to these shortages and for any inconvenience this may cause you.
Q: What if I do not want to come into the office for therapy or my physician appointment?
A: Depending on your circumstances, we can set you up with a virtual visit with either your therapist or your physician, just call the scheduling department to schedule a virtual appointment at 855-896-0444 or click on our Appointment Request link and indicate that you would like to schedule a telehealth visit.
Q: As a therapy patient, what if I don't have access to an electronic device for virtual visits?
A: If you are an established patient, we can set up a visit over the phone to discuss your exercises and any concerns you may have.
Q: Do you provide a patient portal where I can communicate with my doctor?
A: Yes. As long as we have an accurate email address for you, we can send you an invitation to join our patient portal allowing you access to message our providers directly through the portal.
Q: Is the patient portal the same as telehealth and Clocktree?
A: No. Our patient portal and telehealth program are two separate programs. Our patient portal is a service we provide where you are able to access medical records and communicate via messaging with our providers through an MBO integrated site called myhealthrecord.com.
Telehealth is an actual virtual appointment with one of our providers through a platform called Clocktree.com. They are two completely separate programs, but both do require invitations to join.
At this time we would like to take this opportunity to applaud the men and women that are are on the front lines caring for our communities, including all the physicians and their staff at the local hospitals, first responders, food supply workers, essential service workers and military personnel. One of our very own was called to duty by the New Jersey Army National Guard to assist with setting up a unit with medications, crash carts and nurses stations while developing procedures for treatment, x-rays, lab, and policies to aid our communities in this pandemic. Thank you to Paul and his team!
Another thank you to Tabitha Madera, Laurel Gordon, Monica Pirolli, Lauren Lupica and MaryAnn Rostel. These women provided us homemade sewn fabric face masks to help keep our staff safe. All of us at MBO are truly grateful!
Again, we all hope that you are remaining safe and healthy during these difficult times. Please reach out to us with any questions or concerns at 855-896-0444.
April 1st
COVID-19 update
With the ongoing concern of the COVID-19 crises, we continue to receive multiple questions regarding our operations. First and most important, we hope everyone is staying safe and adhering to the continued recommendations of the CDC and Department of Health. We also thank everyone for your continued support, concerns, and safety about our Medical Professionals and Staff . Following is a quick summary of the questions our staff and operations are receiving:
Q: Are we open?
A: Yes. MBO (both the physician practice and the therapy practice) is considered essential by the Department Of Health and must remain open.
Q: Can we call MBO first in lieu of going to an emergency room or urgent care center?
A: Yes. Please feel free to contact us should you encounter an orthopaedic emergency at (855) 896-0444 or request an appointment on line.
Q: Are you available outside of normal business hours?
A: Yes. Call our after hours service and communicate with one of our physician assistants who can make recommendations to you pertaining to your individual orthopedic needs.
Q: Are you offering telehealth?
A: Yes. We offer telehealth virtual visits, where you can video chat with one of our physicians or our therapists directly from home. For more information on telehealth, please view our video.
Q: What kind of orthopedic conditions are you seeing at this time?
A: We are seeing all urgent and emergent cases, orthopedic injuries and pain management conditions.
Q: Do you have on-site x-ray?
A: Yes, we have on-site x-ray available at all of our facilities.
Q: Can I get in quickly?
A: Yes. Our providers maintain open appointment slots for patients that need to be treated for urgent conditions.
We hope that we have answered some of the frequently asked questions we are receiving. Please feel free to contact our office for any additional questions you may have. We are here for you and we are wishing you all safety and health.
March 25th
COVID-19 update
We continue to monitor the changing events of the COVID-19 virus and adhere to all CDC guidelines. According to these guidelines, both our physician practices and therapy practices are considered essential businesses. So in order to continue to serve both the Pennsylvania and New Jersey communities, our PA office and NJ office both remain open and focused on providing patients the care that they need.
In addition to office visits, we are also offering a triage service, where you can call into the office and speak with one of our physician assistants to discuss your condition. During this call, the physician assistant can determine if it is necessary for you to be seen in the office or if they can provide you with recommendations to manage your condition until you are able to be seen at a later date. They may also recommend a telehealth visit.
A telehealth visit is a virtual visit designed for you to communicate with one of our physicians or therapists online via a computer, tablet, smart phone; essentially any device with a camera and microphone. For more information, click here to view our telehealth video.
March 21th
COVID-19 update
A note about urgent orthopedic needs:
During this unprecedented time, we at Mercer-Bucks Orthopaedics continue to strive to offer patients options. As a way to try to do what is right for our community and alleviate some of the pressures off the hospital emergency rooms and local urgent care centers, for emergency orthopedic needs, simply call us first and speak to the on call provider who can provide immediate guidance or, if needed, a telehealth option. Just simply call us at 855-896-0444, provide your information to the answering service and await a return call from our provider.
A note about the MBO telehealth service:
Your injury or condition, although urgent, may not require an in office visit. We have uploaded a quick video via our website at mbortho.com explaining this feature which means as long as you have an electronic device that has a camera and a microphone such as an iPhone, iPad, laptop etc., our physicians or therapists can evaluate your condition over a HIPAA-Compliant virtual platform and consult you directly from your home. No waiting rooms, no emergency rooms, no unnecessary trips.
A note about our office hours during this time:
If you are patient that does need to be seen in person, our offices are open and we continue to see patients on a limited basis. As a safety precaution, we have restricted the number of staff members and patients in our offices and our waiting rooms to comply with current CDC guidelines. So please be aware that we are asking only 1 additional person per patient in our offices per appointment. Another safety measure we have implemented is a screening questionnaire. These screenings will be conducted at the time you schedule your appointment as well as when you arrive at our office for your appointment. There could be circumstances that we ask you to wait in the car and we will call you in once your physician or therapist is ready for you. With that criteria and including the additional steps being taken to sanitize each area between patient visits, this could lead to possible delays in appointment times. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but it is a necessary precaution at this time.
Our physicians and therapists want you to know we are here for you and are prepared to do all we can for our communities in this time of need. Please call us if you need us. We hope you all remain safe and healthy.
March 18th
COVID-19 update
MBO Launches Telehealth Program
With information continuously changing regarding the COVID-19 crisis, Mercer-Bucks Orthopaedics understands our patients have concerns with keeping their scheduled office appointments. Although we are following highly stringent guidelines to keep our staff and patients safe in all of our locations, we know that it is in the best interest of some of our patients to remain home to avoid any unnecessary interactions.
In order to continue our mission to keep our patients safe and healthy, yet still provide the highest quality of care, MBO is happy to introduce our Telehealth Virtual Visit program. The telehealth platform is not new to Mercer-Bucks Orthopaedics, in fact, our therapists have been using it for months, but now we are extending this program to our physicians in order to better serve you. We utilize a well-established HIPAA -compliant virtual visit platform that can be used on any device that has a camera and microphone.
If you feel that a virtual visit would be best for you and you would like more information on it, please call our office at 855-896-0444 to speak with one of our team members who can direct you on the best way to schedule an appointment or click on Request an Appointment and indicate that you are interested in a Telehealth appointment.
We hope that this additional service provides you with some peace of mind at this time. Our physicians want you to know we are here for you and hope you all remain safe and healthy.
Click here for quick access to Clocktree.com
Message from the Chief Executive Officer
We at Mercer Bucks Orthopaedics and Mercer County Surgery Center are continuing to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis impacting the United States. As we continue to increase preparedness, we want everyone to understand your health and wellness is most important and want to summarize some additional steps we, as an organization, are moving towards in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
- In the continuing effort to protect our staff and patients, the following policies and recommendations are being implemented effective immediately through 5/1/2020 or until further notice as the dates may be changed or extended depending on the circumstances:
- We, as an organization, continue to follow all protocols and procedures recommended by the CDC and State Department of Health both in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
- We have begun and will continue issuing a COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Screening Questionnaire to every patient presenting to our locations to further screen patients that have completed recent travel.
- While contacting our Scheduling Department for an appointment, you will be asked additional screening questions. Rest assured, these questions are for everyone’s safety and to ensure the health and wellness of the entire MBO team.
- Both Mercer Bucks Orthopaedics and Mercer County Surgery Center has and will continue with enhanced sanitation and cleaning processes. As these items are standard, we want to assure everyone we continue to maintain high standards in regards to our cleaning process.
- For those patients with continuing physical therapy appointments, if you prefer not to come to an office in person, MBO offers virtual therapy treatment visits. Please contact your therapist about details related to our virtual visit and home exercise programs.
- As recommended by the CDC, we ask everyone to continue to ensure proper hand washing and use of hand sanitizer options.
- For our surgical patients at the Mercer County Surgery Center (MCSC), during presurgical assessment calls, MCSC staff will ask whether patients or guests have experienced symptoms of COVID-19 or any other flu like related symptoms.
- Both Mercer Bucks Orthopaedics and Mercer county Surgery Center will be asking patients to disclose their recent travel history.
- MCSC is asking surgical patients to limit number of visitors to ONE at bedside. This will help ensure additional protection to our surgical patients.
- MCSC employees will also undergo daily temporal temperature screenings to provide patients with added assurance our staff remains committed to the high standards expected in these times.
Lastly, the health of ALL people is of the utmost importance and we are taking these steps to help prevent any spreading of this virus. Thank you for your understanding. Please contact our office should you have any questions.
Anthony Molchany
Chief Executive Officer