BayCare Medical Group to Resume Normal Operation After COVID-19 Closures

BayCare Medical Group (BMG), BayCare’s multi-specialty medical group, is planning to resume normal operations starting Monday, May 11.

BMG, which had temporarily altered its primary care services to help reduce patients’ risk of exposure from COVID-19, will reopen all primary care offices with enhanced infection control measures in place to protect patients, physicians, team members, and the community. 

“To help protect the health of our patients during the pandemic, BMG’s 600 physicians consolidated offices and offered virtual care to their patients,” said Dr. Andrew Fink, president of BMG. “We have appropriate plans in place to safely provide care for them in person.” 

BMG’s primary care doctors offered appointments, when appropriate, via a telehealth platform for patients to receive medical care virtually. Some primary care clinics remained open to care for patients with acute care needs on an appointment basis. 

While all clinics will open for business on Monday, BMG will continue to offer patients the option to schedule a telehealth visit with their doctor. All appointment scheduling includes an expanded range of COVID-19 related screening questions. Chronic care visits also are available in-person or by telehealth.

Are Patients Safe to Return?

BayCare’s top priority is the health and safety of patients, physicians, and team members. To ensure everyone is protected, BMG has enhanced its standard safety processes and cleaning procedures based on safety guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some of those measures include:

• Appointment registration and check-in completed online, prior to the office visit
• Appropriate pre-screening/triaging of patients and team members based on CDC guidelines
• All doctors, staff, and patients are required to wear masks while in the clinic
• Segregation of potential COVID-19 patients from other patients
• Minimizing or eliminating the time in the waiting room
• Patients who screen for COVID-19 who are acutely ill with signs of respiratory distress are being sent directly to the Emergency Room 
• Clinics are being cleaned throughout the day with medical-grade sanitizers and antibacterial agents
• Seating in our waiting areas will be limited and reoriented to accommodate for appropriate social distancing
• Hand sanitizer is readily available for patients and staff
• All clinics are offering contact-free payment
• Visitors and guests are being limited to the patient’s parent or caregiver when needed
• All BayCare team members have their temperatures checked when they report to work every day. Team members that are symptomatic are not allowed to come to work. 

For more information on openings and closings, visit BayCare.org/Coronavirus.