If you have a chronic health condition and have regular appointments with your primary care physician, please be sure to keep any scheduled appointments. For patients with ongoing health issues like heart problems, COPD, diabetes or other conditions, maintaining your scheduled appointments is really important.

As we practice social distancing and while many of us are under “stay at home” orders, you may be wondering how to handle routine doctor appointments. Wamego Family Clinic providers are still seeing some patients in-person and also have virtual appointments available. If your health condition is stable, a virtual visit may be all you need at this time. You may even be able to handle new prescriptions, medication renewals, medication adjustments, and arrange follow up visits and cardiac testing, this way.

Virtual visits are a great way for our providers to check in with you. These visits are available through your cell phone, tablet, laptop, or computer. For our patients who do not have access to these devices, we have additional options. Patients may report to the back parking lot where an associate will bring them an iPad with appointments login instructions. They can then chat with their provider from their vehicle. Medicare and Medicaid, along with many private insurance companies now pay for this type of visit.

For more urgent care, or if your heart condition is not stable, you may need an in-person visit. We have taken action to minimize your risk of exposure to COVID-19 if you do need to come into the clinic or emergency room. Our facility is checking patients for symptoms at the door and screening patients who are ill with COVID-19-like symptoms to ensure we take the proper precautions to isolate them from other patients.

Please do not forgo care for important health issues, as doing so might result in a hospitalization. Unfortunately, there have been many examples during the COVID-19 pandemic where patients have remained at home with a worsening serious condition out of fear of calling the doctor or going to the Emergency Room, only to experience a bad outcome by delaying care. Stay in contact with your doctor so you are still able to get the care you need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information, call Wamego Family Clinic at 785-456-6288. As always, if you are experiencing an emergency, please call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency room for care. Thank you for continuing to allow our team of healthcare professionals to care for you and your family.