COVID-19 Update - Virginia Cardiovascular ConsultantsVirginia Cardiovascular Consultants

At Virginia Cardiovascular Consultants, P.C. , we continue the same complete commitment to your overall health and providing excellent cardiovascular care. The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has given us some challenges and we at Virginia Cardiovascular Consultants, P.C., have risen to these challenges with the following considerations for you and your family:

In order to provide a safe and healthy environment for our staff and for your visit, as well as other patients, we kindly request anyone who is experiencing symptoms of an upper respiratory infection, such as cough and shortness of breath or fever, to call the office to report these symptoms to us. You may be offered a telemedicine appointment with a provider.
All patients and any family members must wear face covering while at VCC.
If you have had contact with a person who has been infected with coronavirus or are being tested for COVID-19, or have had recent travel outside of the USA or to the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area in the past 14 days please call our office and reschedule your visit for at least 14 days from that time. You may be offered a telemedicine visit with a provider.
The Centers for Disease Control recommend keeping a distance of 6 feet or more from each other. We will adhere to that as much as we can during your visit. As such, given the small exam room spaces, we request that no visitors attend your appointment in the office during these restrictions. Caregivers for our patients unable to care for themselves will be the exception. If visitor attendance is necessary, we suggest using the telemedicine option for now.
We are protecting our patients and our staff by cleaning all office spaces regularly and frequently with a CDC approved cleaning agent for COVID-19.
We have temporarily changed the furniture in our common areas and exam rooms to make it easier for us to clean it frequently.
Our office staff may also be wearing protective masks during your visit, as suggested by standard precautions by the Centers for Disease Control.
All elective invasive procedures have been put on hold until the current situation is under control and we have further directives from the Governor and the hospitals. However, if you think that your symptoms are getting worse and you can not wait then you need to contact us. There are provisions to take care of urgent procedures if needed. Your providers will evaluate this on case by case basis.
We also encourage all of our patients to contact us before heading to emergency rooms unless you think your condition is life threatening and you need to call emergency medical services right away. This not only keeps you from getting unnecessary exposure but also keeps our health care systems to be used for people who are in dire need at this time.

For details of CDC recommendations regarding Coronavirus precautions, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

To visit the Virginia Department of Health recommendations regarding Coronavirus precautions please visit: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/surveillance-and-investigation/novel-coronavirus/

Telemedicine

We are very thankful to our government leaders for expediting this option for your care. If we are unable to see you in the office at this time, we are pleased to serve you via telemedicine visits. Our physicians have chosen a very user-friendly platform that does not require you to download an app. Your provider will evaluate each patient on a case-by-case to assure we can continue to meet your healthcare needs effectively.

Most insurance companies have agreed to cover telehealth appointments the same as they cover traditional office appointments, which may also include a co-pay. Please contact our office if you are interested in taking advantage of this option.

At this time, tele-health is VCC’s preferred method to be able to continue to provide you comprehensive care for routine follow up appointments, while reducing your exposure during this turbulent time. All new patient appointments will need to take place in the office. Our providers and staff remain committed to your health and well-being. During these visits, we will need you to use a smartphone with a camera. We are using doxy.me system, which is encrypted and has a long track record of secure, high-quality online telemedicine visits across the globe.

A nurse will contact you by phone at the beginning of the visit and will inform you of what to expect at that time.

Make your own face mask

To make your own face mask, watch the video below or visit this link.

Staying healthy during a pandemic

It is most important to us that you keep your heart and cardiovascular health a major focus during this time. It will help with stress reduction and will keep you on the excellent treatment plans that we have been employing. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, many of us are finding more time to do things than ever before.

Waste no more time arguing what a good man(woman) should be. Be one. – Marcus Aurelius.

Find and practice a new and good habit during this moment. You will come through this pandemic healthier than when it all started. Arise, stand up, and take action! Here are some suggestions for your cardiovascular health:

Diet

Try to improve your diet. Our physicians recommend either Mediterranean diet or Whole-Food plant based diet. These are some links that they have chosen: