To Our Valued Patients,

What each of us are experiencing as a result of this COVID-19 pandemic is challenging the way we approach what used to be “ordinary” tasks, such as shopping for groceries, or a “visit” to your doctor’s office. We at Maryland Primary Care Physicians understand what you and your family are going through. We have always taken pride in our commitment to your health and to our community, and especially during this crisis, we want to remind you that we remain committed to both.

All of our offices remain open, and through “virtual” telemedicine visits we have found we can follow-up with most of you for any issues you may have. This includes acute issues, as well as follow-up on most medical conditions, including your routine health maintenance visits. At the same time, our offices remain open to see those patients that require a face-to-face visit, and we have made every effort to keep our offices safe environments for you and our staff. We continue to keep our waiting rooms empty and practice social distancing, except when close contact is required for your care. All our staff are using appropriate masks and PPE at all times, and as long as they are available we will provide you with a mask also (if you do need to be seen and you have your own mask we encourage you to bring it, since we are still experiencing an international supply issue).

Labs within each of our offices remain open, providing you with the same rigorous safety precautions we are taking for our face-to-face visits, having reserved our limited supply of n95 masks for our lab staff. Additionally, we have opened a draw station at our Central Laboratory, located at our Arundel Mills office location, with a separate entrance to accommodate patients who would feel more comfortable getting their bloodwork done without having to go into their doctor’s office.

I want to thank you for placing your trust in us for your primary care needs. During this difficult time, we are here for you. Whether it’s questions about your routine health, concerns over the COVID virus, symptoms of the disease, or depression or anxiety issues, your trusted and caring providers are only a phone call away.

Please stay safe.

Sincerely,
Michael Riebman, M.D.
President, Maryland Primary Care Physicians

In our continuing effort to keep our patients safe and healthy, these are steps we are taking, and ask that you take to assure all patients are seen in a safe environment:

• Please call before coming into the office. We will have special instructions for patients who have a fever or cough. It is vital that you notify us in advance if you are experiencing any respiratory symptoms or have been exposed to a person who has been lab-confirmed to have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. This information is required in order to protect providers, staff and other patients.
• All of our providers are able to do televisits with you. A televisit is a video face-to-face appointment using the camera on your smartphone or home computer, so your provider can see you and you can see your provider. This is a great way to continue to provide you with good health care during the COVID-19 pandemic from the safety of your home.
  • We can do televisits to follow up your ongoing medical issues or to address new problems. We can do these visits through Zoom, Facetime or Google Duo, which ever app you prefer.  And don’t worry—if you have trouble getting set up for your first televisit, we are here to help you.
  • If you don’t have a smartphone or a computer, we are also able to do visits by telephone.
  • To schedule either a video televisit or a telephone visit, just call your provider’s office.
• To avoid risk of exposure, patients may be asked to call the office from their provider’s parking lot to check in and wait in their cars until an MPCP staff member notifies them to enter the office and go straight to an exam room for their appointment.
• We are carefully following the recommendations of the CDC and our state and local health departments. We are cleaning surfaces frequently, washing our hands, and practicing social distancing as much as possible.
• In order to help keep our staff safe we are asking that as much as possible, co-pays and balances be made by credit or debit cards.

Thank you for your patience during this pandemic, during which there may be frequent changes in our practices. As always, we are making every effort to make sure you get the best health care possible.

Maryland Primary Care Physicians

All patients are required to wear a mask when coming into the office.

The following masks are not permitted:

• cloth valve masks
• gaiters
• bandanas

These masks are not recommended, and are discouraged by the CDC.

The Queenstown office has made some changes for the safety of our patients and staff

• We are using Telemedicine with video apps or phones calls to connect with you and care for your medical needs.
• Our Respiratory Clinic is by appointment only. We have separated a portion of our office to evaluate patients who have concerns about COVID-19 infection. They enter and exit the office though a separate entrance to avoid contact with other patients. We are now offering COVID-19 testing. Please call our office to schedule an appointment.
• Our providers are also available for face-to-face visits. We are bringing patients directly into exam rooms that are disinfected, as are all areas of the office, per CDC guidelines, after each patient visit. For your safety, we are seating only 10 patients in our waiting room at a time. After that, patients may be asked to wait in their car or the lobby, depending on the situation and time of day. We have safely distanced our waiting room seating, so no one is sitting within 6 feet of another patient. We have also added sliding glass barriers to the front desk to protect patients and staff.
• Our lab is open for patients who need blood tests. We will schedule your blood test to minimize contact with other patients. Only one patient at a time is brought into the lab. We have also blocked off seating in the lab to a safe distance. Any lab patients with COVID related symptoms are being drawn in the respiratory clinic.