Dear Patients of Quality Family Physicians, PA (QFP),

As we navigate through uncharted waters in this world-wide COVID 19 pandemic, we at Quality Family Physicians are now prepared to update our mission.

We will work very hard to:

1. Continue to provide quality healthcare
2. Continue to ensure access to your medical team
3. Provide information on the ever-changing protocol of COVID 19 testing 
4. Ensure safety of our staff and patients

In this time of high anxiety and quickly changing information about this novel strand of coronavirus, we need to ensure we act upon the most reliable date.    We would like everyone to refer to our website (www.qfpde.com) to link you to reliable websites.

As a recommendation, we do NOT want you to STOP or change any medications without contacting the office.  We have a web-box on our website announcing medication recommendations.

We also want to address testing for COVID-19.   We are aware everyone wants to get tested, however due to limited supplies of testing and testing centers at this time, we are currently reviewing symptoms and sending for testing if appropriate.  We currently recommend hand washing, avoiding touching face, and avoiding sick contacts.  If you do not develop fever and have upper respiratory symptoms, quarantining yourself for 2 weeks is appropriate at this time.  We will continue to keep you up to date as we get more information on testing availabilities.

We anticipate that this COVID -19 pandemic will affect us for months.   Currently we are recommending any routine testing (mammogram, colonoscopy, bone density testing) to be postponed to the second half of the year.  However, testing for diabetes, kidney, and cardiac disease are still important in continuing in preventing and monitoring your disease process.    We will work with you to develop a timeline for these testing to maintain safety and quality care.

In order to keep patients out of the hospital and manage your disease process, we are working on a workflow in the office.   Currently, we will provide 4 different appointment types.   If anyone develops a fever or cough, the first step is to call the office.  Please do not walk in.

1.  Healthy visits – Patients who need to be seen for follow up or problems that are not associated with the upper respiratory or infectious process, will be seen for morning appointments.  We will keep these appointments available because some medical issues require an office visit to be diagnosed accurately.
2. Sick appointments – We will offer sick appointments the second half of the day.  We will keep the patients with a fever in the car and walk them to the exam room to minimize contact with the staff and other patients.   We will make sure that each room is cleaned thoroughly between patients.  Then will get deep cleaning before the office opens in the am.
3. Curbside Pick up – Please park at the parking spots that have a curbside / pick up sign. Curbside pick-up is only available between 9:00am – 10:00am and 3:00pm – 4:00pm.
4. Telephone appointments – Patients who do not have access to a phone video or laptop/computer with camera, will be offered telephone appointments with a provider. 
5. Telehealth/video conference appointments– This type of appointment will be a face to face time to reviewed problems and follow up.
6. E-visits – An E-Visit is an online exchange of medical information between a patient and a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant where the provider evaluates one of a number of specific conditions that leads to a diagnosis and treatment of the condition. The visit is via online secure communication through our patient portal.

Telephone, telehealth visits and curbside visits will be at scheduled times.  Our office will determine what visit is appropriate.  Currently Medicare and other insurances will reimburse us for these types of visits, up to the level of the office visit. Your insurance company has encouraged us to bill for all the services provided at this time. During this time, the government feels that it is important for patients to have access to their primary care physicians.  So reimbursements and access will be also evolving through this process.  We will be as transparent as we can be, but if you have any questions, check our website for up to date information.

We are in a very difficult time.  Please be patient with us and to each other.  We are in this together and will continue to be the source your primary care healthcare.  In that note, while you are at home, we recommend going outside, walking/exercise, cooking healthy foods, meditating, resting and really focus on self-care.

Take Care,
Drs. Willey and Kim.