- Posted On: March 16, 2020
- Categories: Events & Announcements
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We are prepared and ready to help.
We appreciate your adaptability.
At ORM Fertility, we are deeply committed to prioritizing the health and well-being of our patients, staff, and community. Nothing is more important than your health and safety, and the need to protect those most vulnerable to the coronavirus (COVID-19).
We want all of our patients to have the safest and most stress-free experience possible. At this time, we are allocating our providers to their fullest potential to keep everyone’s exposure to the COVID-19 to a minimum. To accomplish this, we may need to change your appointment, or possibly which of our Portland-based locations you will be seen at.
Please help us prevent the spread and minimize the impact of COVID-19 by following these guidelines for your visit with ORM.
- Do not come to the clinic unless so instructed. If you have been exposed or diagnosed with COVID-19, or if you’re experiencing flu-like symptoms (fever, cough or shortness of breath) please call to reschedule your in-office appointment.
- We respectfully ask you not to bring children or infants and to limit the number of people joining you during your appointment to a max of 1.
- We are moving all in-person consults to be held via phone, Skype, or Zoom video. If you have not transitioned your consultation to a virtual appointment, please contact the office ASAP. (503)274.4994 (Opt 1)
More on the measures we’re taking to provide the best and safest care for everyone involved:
- Promoting frequent and thorough hand washing for staff and patients
- Encouraging workers to stay home if they are sick
- Encouraging respiratory etiquette, including covering coughs and sneezes
- Established policies and practices for flexible worksites and flexible work hours to increase the physical distance among employees and between staff and others.
- Maintaining and enhancing regular housekeeping practices, including routine cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces, equipment, and other elements of the work environment
- Restricting the number of personnel entering isolated areas and locations
- Discontinuing nonessential travel to locations with ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks
Issues Specific to ORM Fertility:
- Our Chief Medical Officer and management team will stay current to this developing situation and provide updates as needed.
- There is no current evidence that the COVID-19 virus is transmitted through semen, oocytes or embryos.
- Blooddraws, ultrasounds of any type, IUIs, oocyte retrievals and embryo transfers will still be seen on-site at our clinics.
- We will work with insurance companies on billing for virtual appointments to ensure patients are cared for and accommodated properly.
- All scheduled live events (seminars, etc.) in Portland, Bend and Bellevue will be moved to Webinar format and will continue as regularly scheduled using virtual tools such as Zoom & Big Marker.
- If patients are considered high-risk and are actively undergoing infertility treatment, we suggest that they consider freezing all oocytes or embryos and avoid embryo transfer until they are disease-free.
- Each individual and couple must decide on their own level of comfort with regard to moving ahead with treatment. The timeline of the current COVID-19 pandemic is unknown.
- We are closely monitoring state and national authorities and will continue to communicate with our patients should anything change.