Our country continues to face the ongoing threat from the coronavirus (COVID-19). As always, our #1 goal is patient care and, in an effort, to ensure patient safety and the well-being of our staff, we are asking that you proactively reschedule your existing appointment if you are experiencing fever or flu-like symptoms in the last 14 days by dialing 443-351-3376.As medical professionals, we are trained to place the well-being and safety of our patients above all else, and that commitment to your health and safety is driving every decision we are making during this challenging time. We are closely monitoring all developments related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), and we are strictly adhering to all guidelines issued by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and our local and state governments.
As our offices are now seeing all appointment types, urgent and elective, and again offering cosmetic services, we encourage high-risk patients as listed by the CDC (as of 11/02/2020, see full list of CDC high-risk patients below) to make informed decisions about their care.
CDC List of High-Risk Patients (as of 11/02/2020):
Adults aged 65 or older
Adults of any age with the following conditions are at increased risk of severe illness:
- Cancer
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
- Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2)
- Severe Obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2)
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease
- Smoking
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
Adults of any age with the following conditions might be at an increased risk for severe illness:
- Asthma (moderate-to-severe)
- Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
- Cystic fibrosis
- Hypertension or high blood pressure
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines
- Neurologic conditions, such as dementia
- Liver disease
- Overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m2, but < 30 kg/m2)
- Pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues)
- Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)
- Type 1 diabetes mellitus
Children with the following conditions might be at increased risk for severe illness:
- Obesity
- Medical complexity
- Severe genetic disorders
- Severe neurologic disorders
- Inherited metabolic disorders
- Sickle cell disease
- Congenital heart disease
- Diabetes
- Chronic kidney disease
- Asthma and other chronic lung disease
- Immunosuppression due to malignancy
- Those taking immune-weakening medications
These patients may still want to utilize our TeleHealth visits, which mimic an office visit with your provider and are covered by most insurance companies. If you don’t feel that the Telehealth visit is the right tool for your dermatological need, please call us at 443-351-3376 and we will book an in-office appointment and make special accommodations for any high-risk patient.
It has always been our standard practice to follow strict infection control measures at each of our clinic locations to prevent patients from being exposed to illness or infection. However, at this point in time, many additional infection control measures have been put into place. Below please find a link of some of these additional measures:
Steps We Are Taking To Protect Our Patients: Click Here.
COVID-19: General Information, Common Symptoms & Prevention Strategies: Click Here.
For Patients on Biologics or Other Immunosuppressive Medications: Click Here.