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:
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 online 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.