State Guidelines for Reopening Our Offices Now Available
Guidelines from the New Mexico Department of Health for reopening our practices are out at last, as of yesterday, May 20, 2020. We know that a number of DOMs had been calling the DOH without getting any clear answers. There was a lot of conflicting information, and what information existed was hard to ferret out of the DOH website. We eventually got lucky and found someone who could put us in touch with decision makers.
Until today, DOMs were not included under the most recent order for restarting non-essential medical care; it turned out that it was only supposed to pertain to allopathic medical offices. We now have a guidance document specifically for us:
https://cvmodeling.nmhealth.org/medical-advisory-team/mat-resources/
These guidelines are unlikely to be surprising to you. They are similar to the CCAOM infection control document you saw recently, and what’s been said in the ASA/NCCAOM town halls. The intention of the Medical Advisory Team, in consultation with NMSAAM and PHANM, was to create a set of recommendations that would be flexible enough to cover different types of DOM practices and make us available to our patients again as soon as practicable.
In case you missed it last time, here is the CCAOM guidance:
https://www.nccaom.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/CCAOM_Clinic_Infection_Control_Advisory.pdf
A heartfelt thank you to Rohini McKee, MD of the Medical Advisory Team!
The 5/20 ASA/NCCAOM Town Hall focused on liability issues. As we reopen, we will have to deal with some new considerations, both the potential for infection to be transmitted in our offices and the increased prevalence of cybersecurity problems. The recording should be available tomorrow.
WHEW! We have passed a major milestone. Please note that if the COVID-19 situation starts to look worse, we may be required to close again, but for now, we can cautiously begin to serve our patient communities and get the Qi flowing.