COVID-19

UPDATED 8/3/2022


COVID-19 TESTING

IF YOUR CHILD HAS SYMPTOMS OR AN EXPOSURE . . . 

if your child becomes ill with cough, congestion, sore throat, headache, fever, fatigue, or other symptoms concerning for COVID-19 OR if your child is exposed to COVID-19, you need to schedule an appointment in the office or via TeleHealth with one of the physicians.  Patients seen in the office can be tested here if needed.  Patients seen via TeleHealth will be directed to schedule a test at Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

We WILL NOT send orders for tests for patients that are ill or who have an exposure without evaluating them first.

IF YOUR CHILD NEEDS TESTING FOR ACTIVITIES, COLLEGE, OR TRAVEL . . .
 
  • Patients who are up to date on their check ups, can contact the office and request that an order be placed at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. These can be done without a testing appointment at any of their locations. Please remember to allow ample time for us to place the order, and for you to be able to schedule and receive the results prior to when they are needed.
  • Patients who are asymptomatic and do not have a history of COVID-19 exposure in the past 14 days can be scheduled with one of the physicians to have the test done at one of our offices.  Your insurance will be billed for an office visit for these encounters.

Results for tests done through Cincinnati Children's Hospital are reported 30-48 hours after the test is received

 

ILL APPOINTMENTS

We are anticipating that an increased number of patients will need to be evaluated for illness in the coming months. Therefore, we are returning to our typical scheduling that includes appointments for ill patients throughout the day at all 3 office locations, as well as in the evening on weekdays and during the day on Saturday at Eastgate.
 

MASK EXEMPTIONS

Our practice is following the recommedation of the Ohio AAP and Cincinnati Children's Hospital in regards to issuing mask exemptions.  Only the following circumstances will be considered:
  • If the child is under 2 years of age
  • Anyone who is unable to remove the face covering without assistance
  • Significant psychological issues under the treatement of a physician such as severe anxiety
  • Patients with severe autism and those children with developmental delay who may become agitated or anxious because of a mask
  • True facial deformity that causes airway obstruction
We recommend that all children returning to in-person school wear masks, regardles of vaccination status.  Many children are not yet eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and are therefore less protected against COVID-19 infection.  In addition, teachers and staff should continue to wear masks in school, regardless of vaccination status.

COVID-19 VACCINE APPROVED BY THE FDA FOR PATIENTS 6 MONTHS AND OLDER AND THEIR FAMILIES

Our office offers the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at our Eastgate, Batavia, and Loveland locations. The FDA has given full approval for the vaccine for people 6 months of age an older.   Vaccine appointments can be scheduled Monday - Saturday.  Eligible patients also can receive the vaccine when they are in the office for check ups or follow up appointments. We continue to be committed to vaccinating not only our patients, but their eligible family members as well.

All individuals who wish to receive the vaccine in our office will need to provide insurance information when scheduling. If an individual is uninsured, we will request that the Social Security Number and driver's license/state ID number be provided. Demographic and insurance information will be stored in our practice EHR so that any accepted fees for the administration of the vaccine can be billed to your insurance company or HRSA.  It will also allow us to send the dates of vaccine administration to the state registry automatically. You will not receive a bill since there is no out of pocket cost to anyone who receives the COVID-19 vaccine.

We also ask that all individuals complete a Prevaccination Screening Form prior to coming to the office for your COVID-19 vaccine appointment.

Prevaccination Screening Form


The CDC has detailed information about the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

Pfizer COVID-19 CDC Info


OFFICE PANDEMIC RESPONSE


Mask Requirement
  • Masks are required to enter all of our offices for everyone aged 5 years of age and older
  • We also strongly encourage children aged 2-5 years to wear masks
  • Be sure the mask is worn over your nose and mouth and secured under your chin!
  • We respectfully request that anyone who feels they are unable to wear a mask refrain from accompanying patients into the office
  • If this is not possible, adults requesting a mask exemption must bring documentation from a personal physician or other medical provider

COVID-19 Screening
 
If your child is scheduled to come into the office for a check up, follow up, or immunization only, please review the following questions on the day of the appointment:
  • Has the patient or any accompanying adult(s) experienced any of the following symptoms in the last 48 hours:  fever (to 100.4 or higher) or chills, frequent cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headaches, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea?
  • Within the past 14 days, has the patient or any accompanying adult(s) been in close physical contact (6 feet or closer for at least 15 minutes) with a person who is known to have laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 or with anyone who has symptoms consistent with COVID-19?
  • Is the patient or any accompanying adult(s) isolating or quarantining because of possible exposure to a person with COVID-19 or concerned about being sick with COVID-19?
  • Is the patient or any accompanying adult(s) currently waiting on the results of a COVID-19 test?

IF THE ANSWER TO ANY OF THE ABOVE QUESTIONS IS YES, THE APPOINTMENT WILL NEED TO BE RESCHEDULED

Safety protocols
 
Even with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is still important to bring your family into the office for check ups and immunizations.  Follow up visits are also essential, as are visits with the doctor when you are concerned that one of your children is ill.
  • TeleHealth visits are available for follow up visits for medical conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, and depressions and for ill visits when appropriate
  • A confirmation call is placed the day before any scheduled appointment to quicken the check-in process and allow patients to be escorted to an exam room immediately
  • All staff members wear masks in the office at all times, as well as other recommended PPE when appropriate
  • Per CDC guidelines, high touch surfaces are cleaned with a bleach solution frequently and exam rooms are sanitized after every visit
  • Our office is working diligently to keep our patients and staff safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. The following document outlines our enhanced office safety measures.