The safety and well-being of our patients, staff, and community are our highest priority. We continue to closely monitor the developments related to coronavirus (COVID-19) both nationally and in the Kansas City metro. As the situation remains fluid, Durrie Vision will continue to seek guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and local health agencies to guide decisions, restrictions, and protocols as the situation evolves.
In response, Durrie Vision has enhanced its already-rigorous cleaning, hygiene, and sterilization procedures as well as made significant changes to patient scheduling and check-in protocols. We have outlined the steps we are taking to keep our patients and staff safe and healthy below. Due to the dynamic nature of this situation, we will review and update policies and protocols as needed.
Patients with Upcoming Appointments
Patient Screening/Consent
At check-in patients will be screened via the following statements. If you cannot positively affirm to all these questions, you will be asked to postpone or reschedule your visit to a later date.
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- I do not currently, nor have I had in the last two weeks, a fever, cough, or other cold symptoms.
- To the best of my knowledge, I do not have COVID-19, nor have I been in close contact [w/in 6 feet of an infected individual for a prolonged period of time (10+ min)] with someone who has a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 or a presumptive positive COVID-19 test result in the last 14 days, nor have I been in direct contact with the secretions of an infected individual within the last 14 days.
- I have not, nor has anyone living in my immediate household, traveled outside the United States within the past 14 days.
- I have not attended a mass gathering of more than 500 people where social distancing was not maintained out of Kansas/Missouri within the past 14 days.
- We continue to adhere to the KDHE travel quarantine guidelines.
Ongoing Practice and Staff Safety Measures
Patient Scheduling and Visitor Policy
To minimize exposure and risk of infection, we are taking the following steps to reduce the number of people in our office:
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- Limiting extra visitors to their appointment unless absolutely necessary
- Limiting the number of industry visitors to our practice; visitors will be required to follow employee safety measures as outlined below
Staff Measures
As healthcare professionals, all Durrie Vision staff members employ best practices with regard to personal hygiene and their responsibility in helping to reduce risk of infection and spread of disease. Employees are required to follow proper hand washing protocols at all times. Furthermore, we have encouraged employees to be generous with their use of antibacterial wipes in all areas of the office.
Exam Rooms
All exam, pre- and post-operative rooms are cleaned and sanitized after each use. This includes all equipment, tools, and surfaces staff, patients, or visitors come in contact with.
Surgical Suites
Durrie Vision maintains the highest standard of cleaning protocols for all surgical suites, which includes sterilization of all equipment after each use. Surgical staff follows CDC hand-washing guidelines for healthcare professionals and wears a hat and mask at all times.
General Housekeeping
All common areas are cleaned and disinfected frequently, with extra attention to often-touched areas such as countertops, door handles, phones, water/coffee stations, furniture, etc. We have increased accessibility to all cleaning and sanitization supplies throughout the office to promote frequent use. Please don’t hesitate to ask for hand sanitizer or a disinfectant wipe at any time.
What you can do to help
If you are feeling sick, please reschedule your appointment for a later date. Practice good hygiene. Hand-washing is your best defense against the spread of disease. The CDC recommends washing your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. For more information on preventative measures, please visit the CDC’s website.
CDC: Steps to prevent illness
We want you to feel assured in visiting our office whether it be for a general health-of-eye exam, refractive evaluation, or surgical procedure. If you have any questions regarding our cleaning and sterilization protocols, please don’t hesitate to ask one of our staff members. Thank you for doing your part in helping to keep our staff, other patients, and communities safe.
