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How Doctors Protect Patients During the Covid Crisis
“We are honored to have more Doctors to help serve the thousands of patients who have placed their trust in our network of primary physicians and healthcare professionals in California,” said Dr. Albert Arteaga founder and Chief Executive officer of LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc. Left to Right: Dr. Joseph V. Selvarj, Dr. Albert Arteaga, Dr. Cheryl Emoto, and Dr. Felix A. Albano.
How do you protect patients, doctors and patients in a pandemic and still deliver first rate medical care to thousands of patients?
(San Bernardino, Calif.)With Covid-19 cases again increasing in San Bernardino County and a possible second wave expected by winter, Dr. Albert Arteaga, president and founder of LaSalle Medical Associates, has been working to ensure that his clinics are safe for patients, medical professionals and office staff.
“LaSalle is implementing the best patient solutions possible with direction from Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and American Medical Association (AMA) guidelines,” Dr. Arteaga said. “LaSalle is handling 600 to 700 phone consults per week, with video when possible.”
LaSalle’s new guidelines for patient care include:
- Checking the temperature of each doctor, nurse, patient and medical staff member before they enter the clinic.
- Keeping clinic staff to a minimum, reducing possible people who could bring in an infection.
- Removing any unnecessary furniture and equipment from patient exam rooms. The minimalist approach ensures rapid and thorough cleaning.
- Leaving exam rooms unused for 10 minutes after they are cleaned and disinfected. The disinfectant is effective in about one minute, but the added time provides an increased margin of protection.
- Sending prescriptions to the pharmacy electronically to reduce possible infection from paper prescriptions.
“We want to establish a new normal as close to the old normal as possible,” said Dr. Arteaga. “If we put everyone in a space suit that would work, but it’s not practical. We are minimizing risk to the providers and the patients.”
Dr. Arteaga is available for interviews and to answer any media questions about Covid-19.
The LaSalle medical clinics are at 17577 Arrow Blvd. in Fontana, 1505 West 17th St. and 565 N. Mt. Vernon Ave. in San Bernardino, 790 Foothill Blvd, in Rialto,14544 Seventh Street, in Victorville,and 16455 Main St. in Hesperia
For additional information about LaSalle Medical Associates, call (909) 890-0407 or go online to www.lasallemedical.com.
About LaSalle Medical Associates
LaSalle Medical Associates is an Independent Practice Association (IPA) with 4 staff model clinics in San Bernardino county and a network of independently contracted providers in Fresno, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin and Tulare counties.
LaSalle Medical Associates employs over 100 individuals dedicated to providing excellent service to our members and average over 100,000 patient visits per year.
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