A Checklist for Expanding Outpatient Practices During COVID-19: Considerations and Resources

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions across the health care system. As the level of community transmission of SARS Co-V-2 declines, the benefits of seeking preventive care and care for other conditions will outweigh the risk for exposure to SARS CoV-2.

The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has recently released a useful document - A Checklist for Expanding Outpatient Practices During COVID-19: Considerations and Resources to assist health care facilities with reopening.

This checklist was created to help outpatient providers and staff think about what is needed as medical practices reopen or expand in-patient services and adopt new standards of practice. The checklist is geared toward primary care providers, but specialty practices and behavioral health settings may also find it useful.

The checklist is designed to help you provide the best care you can, in the safest way possible, by:

• Keeping up with the latest information and guidance on COVID-19

• Supporting the health and well-being of your staff while planning for potential shortages

• Having adequate supplies of equipment and other items needed to ensure safe and appropriate care

• Reducing transmission risk at your facility by optimizing infection control, triage and physical distancing practices

• Balancing the use of telehealth and in-person visits

• Maintaining or resuming preventive care, sick patient visits and care for chronic conditions

• Leveraging health technology to improve care

• Keeping patients and staff updated as information changes