Early in the COVID-19 Global Pandemic, the practice appointed a group of clinical chairs and medical directors to form the Resumption of Clinical Activity (RCA) Task Force. They've been meeting regularly and will soon release their final recommendations for resuming clinical activity in the setting of continued social distancing and enhanced infection control.
The focus of these recommendations is not only to provide our practices a framework for recovery from COVID-19 but an opportunity to flourish in the new environment created by this pandemic. We have many unique strengths here at UT Health which gives us many avenues to respond to this crisis.
We have already seen incredible creativity from a number of our practices including:
- Remote Refraction Testing and Drive Up Pressure Checks in Ophthalmology
- On-Demand Virtual Urgent Care in the Primary Care Center
- E-check in and phone-texting upon arrival for Urology
- More efficient work flows in Radiology - minimizing or even eliminating the need to change clothes.
- Standardized COVID infection control protocol for all in-office procedures to streamline workflows in ENT
Critical to balancing the need for clinical growth in the face of continued social distancing will be the creative use of video visits and ultimately, extended hours. In addition, we look forward to even more creative ideas and workflow designs from each practice!
So get a jump start on your plan by bringing your ideas to your Medical Director or Practice Manager. They will then submit final plans to the chair of the RCA Task Force, Dr Rosende, by close of business day May 29, 2020.
Clinical Operations is on standby to fully support practices in this transformation. For assistance, please contact Casey Peterson, Jeanette Hernandez, Mary Lou Jew, or Johnna Nerios.