Due to COVID 19 we have new procedures/polices in place to keep us all safe
We hope you have been safe and well during the Covid-19 Pandemic. We have been very busy preparing for re-opening and returning to practice. Based on the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador's current plan we are due to reopen Tuesday, June 9th under Alert Level 3. We are excited we are finally getting closer to seeing you, our beloved patients, again!
We have been in constant contact with our regulatory bodies who are working with the Department of Health to help us get back to serving you safely. We have new mandated clinical practice guidelines to take the necessary precautions to keep everyone safe in our new normal. As you can expect we are flooded with voicemail and email messages to return - we will respond to everyone asap. Be advised that although we are still accepting and returning voicemails our mailbox keeps filling and as an alternative we can respond faster to email messages at eyesighteyestyle@gmail.com. • All visits to our clinic will be By Appointment Only - To maintain physical distancing, we will unfortunately not be able to accommodate walk-ins.
• CONTACTLESS Payment - We can now offer contactless payment for any services or products by EMT to eyesighteyestyle@gmail.com. If you are coming for an Eye Exam and would like to use this service please add our email to you contacts list in your online banking before arrival and you can EMT your fee before you leave your exam. • Paperless Service - We are now using a new clinic software called the Jane App for your appointment bookings and services. Once your appointment has been booked you will receive an email with instructions to create an account with us and complete your intake form before your appointment. • Only patients with booked appointments will be able to enter the Clinic- If you come by with a question, to book an appointment or for a pick-up or purchase we will have a video/intercom doorbell outside our clinic door that you can use to contact us inside and alert us to your needs. We will do everything we can curbside so there will be no need to enter the clinic and we can keep the person who is being examined safe. • All Appointments will be limited to ONE person only. Exceptions: An appointment for a child or adult who requires care or special assistance is limited to Two people only. The Child and One Parent OR the Adult and one Caretaker. • Missed/Cancelled appointments March-May- We will be contacting everyone who missed an appointment during our temporary closure to reschedule your examination. This will take awhile but we promise we will get to everyone. • New appointments - If you would like to be placed on our Wait List for an appointment please email us at eyesighteyestyle@gmail.com - Subject Line: Appointment. Please advise if you have any immediate needs (glasses/contact lenses/eye health concern) to help us triage appointments properly. • Cancellation Policy – Our wait list is very long so we will require a minimum of 24 hours notice for any appointment cancellations. If a patient is a no show to a booked appointment we will require a non-refundable deposit fee to secure your next appointment at the time of re-booking. This fee will be credited in full towards your appointment or if you no-show again it is non-refundable. • Contact Lens Orders – Starting NOW all Contact Lenses can be ordered by email at eyesighteyestyle@gmail.com Subject Line: Contact Lenses. Please add photos of your current contact lens packaging if possible. All orders will be shipped directly to your home without shipping fees. Once you receive your cost you can pay by EMT at eyesighteyestyle@gmail.com. Once we reopen we will continue this service and we will also offer curbside pick up during our office hours for any contact lens pickups. *At our office door there will be a video/intercom doorbell that you can use to alert us to your needs. There will be no need to enter the clinic. • Retail products (Dry Eye Products) – Currently we are offering dry eye product sales directly from our supplier Sally at iMed Pharma shipped directly to your home. To arrange your purchase please email Sally at ssmith@imedpharma.com. Once we reopen we will be offering curbside pick up during our office hours for any products. To arrange your purchase please email us at eyesighteyestyle@gmail.com Subject Line: Purchase. *At our office door there will be a video/intercom doorbell that you can use to alert us to your needs. There will be no need to enter the clinic. • Clinic safety protocol - We will be going through an examination questionnaire when confirming your appointment to reduce your exposure time in clinic through the JaneApp. The exam procedures are detailed below. Clinic Safety Procedures for Patients:
Practice will look different than when we last saw you but you can be assured you will get the same fantastic service! We have implemented many safety precautions related to Covid-19 and have also taken advantage of the closure to make many clinic improvements to serve you better. ON THE DAY OF YOUR APPOINTMENT: You may choose to notify us by telephone at (709) 753-2112 once you reach the Avalon Mall and then wait in your vehicle. We will call you when the previous patient has left and the clinic has been re-sanitized and is ready for you. We will only allow one person in the clinic at a time or two if that patient requires a parent or caretaker. At our Clinic door there will be a video doorbell/intercom to alert us of your arrival. You will go through a Covid-19 risk factors checklist and confirm through the intercom. If you fail the checklist we will reschedule your appointment for a later date. All patients will be required to wear a mask during their appointment. There will be a plastic bin with a mask and proper instructions outside the door if you did not wear your own mask. Once you are wearing your mask and as soon as the last patient leaves and the clinic has been re-sanitized you will be brought inside. Forehead temperature will then be taken. If you fail the temperature check we will reschedule your appointment for a later date. Patients will then be required to sanitize their hands upon entering the clinic. All staff will be wearing medical grade masks, gloves, scrubs, eye protection and face shields as needed in clinic. Their temperature will also be taken prior to clinic every morning to further protect you. There will be three steps to your exam once inside. 1- You will be taken directly to the pre-screening room and all patients will have two tests done - their eyes will be examined for eye shape and they will have the inside of their eyes photographed. 2- Patients will then be brought to the exam room and will discuss their concerns with Dr. Mayo via video conferencing. This is to reduce the amount of time patients are kept in an enclosed space with another individual further reducing their risk of Covid-19 but not reducing the thoroughness of their examination. Once the discussion is complete Dr. Mayo will enter the exam room and examine the patients vision and eye health with several procedures. Once these are complete she will leave the room and will return to the videoconference to summarize all of the exam findings and discuss a treatment plan. 3- Checkout - If patients wish to avail of contactless payment they will be checked out by video conferencing while still in the exam room. They can EMT eyesighteyestyle@gmail.com and their invoice and prescription can be emailed to them. Patients will then return to the front desk (the waiting room will still be empty), re-sanitize their hands and leave. If they wish to have paper copies they will be given those once they exit the exam room. If EMT is not preferred they will leave the exam room after the treatment plan and check out at the front desk by Interac or Visa/Mastercard only. They will then re-sanitize their hands and will leave the clinic. Everything that comes in contact with patients will be disinfected between each patient. Longer times are being scheduled between appointments in order to ensure proper disinfection times are given. We are changing our schedules to ensure easier flow of patients through the clinic. We have moved to more electronic formats and are using videoconferencing/intercom where possible. We realize that not all patients will feel comfortable with in person appointments at this time. Although we realize there is no replacement for hands on examination, Optometrists can provide Virtual appointments. These are appropriate for anyone who may have questions or require some direction in their treatment plans. These visits are performed using a secure platform, where we video-call you. Appointments run approximately 15-20 mins and are the same cost as a regular appointment. If you feel this is something that may benefit you, please feel free to inquire at eyesighteyestyle@gmail.com. We will be triaging all appointments for the first several weeks. Those deemed in greatest need, will be given first priority. Next, those whose appointments were cancelled during the Pandemic closure will be contacted, and then finally pre-booked current patients and then new patients will be accommodated. If you are interested in receiving an appointment please email us at eyesighteyestyle@gmal.com Subject line: Appointment, or leave us a message at (709) 753-2112. All patients will be given up to date, detailed instructions upon the time of booking, and again on confirmation of their appointments. Please feel free to contact us with ANY questions or concerns. We will do our very best to accommodate our patient's needs; while maintaining public safety. We cannot thank you enough for your patience and understanding during this unprecedented time. We are also very thankful for all of the essential workers who are getting us through this. As always, we appreciate the opportunity to provide your Eyecare and look forward to seeing you soon. Sincerely, Katherine and Dr. Mayo |
