COVID- 19

Dear Valued Patients & Families,

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this extraordinary time. As we begin to move into a “new normal” for healthcare, we wanted to reach out and let you know about some of the measures we’re taking to ensure your safety throughout the remainder of the Covid-19 pandemic. Here’s what you can expect:

• Pre-Appointment Screenings & Video Visits: Minimizing your risk of infection starts by determining whether an in-person visit is actually necessary for you. Our office will work with you to determine if your needs can be met through a video or telephone appointment instead.
• Virtual Check-In & Reduced Paperwork: On this site you can find all your forms which you can submit digitally to our offices ahead of time, resulting in fewer papers to pass around and shorter waiting times. Click here for all forms
• Extended Hours & Smaller Crowds: Our telehealth appointments help us reduce the overall number of visitors at our locations at any given time, so there will be far fewer people than usual at our locations to help reduce risk. We’ll also be extending our usual daily hours as needed so that appointments can be spaced out farther apart to keep traffic down.
• Facial Protection Available for All: For your safety and the safety of those around you, we have made the wearing of masks mandatory for everyone at all of our locations. Every patient and guest will be given a mask if they do not already have one. 
• Temperature Check Points: Temperature check points with no-touch thermometers will help us screen for Covid symptoms in the Eye Institute Lobby.
• Reconfigured Waiting Rooms: Look for the social distance decals on our chairs and floors to help you stay six feet from other patients and employees at all times. Social distancing will also be practiced in common areas like lobbies and elevators. 
• Rigorous Sanitization Procedures: Our medical assistants completely wipe down the waiting room areas between each patient. Each exam room and its tools are sanitized between visits. Each of our frontline employees are required to put on a new pair of gloves between each patient interaction. Every element of our environment will be kept as clean as possible at all times.

We are truly grateful to be able to start expanding our surgical services in the coming days and weeks to our patients. If you haven’t been contacted about your next appointment, please call us (212) 305-5477

COVID-19 Testing for Surgery Patients

This is the most recent guidance from Infection Prevention & Control (IPC):

“Testing at outside facilities is acceptable if a test that detects SARS-CoV-2 RNA (e.g., PCR, nucleic acid amplification) has been performed on a respiratory tract specimen (e.g., NP swab, oropharyngeal swab, nasal swab, mid-turbinate swab) within the 5 days prior to procedure.

NOTE: Testing for SARS-CoV-2 antigen and the use of saliva as a single specimen source i.e., not in combination with another respiratory tract sample such as oropharyngeal swab are Health Care Providers must obtain written documentation of results (i.e., paper copy or through patient portal) that includes the date of the currently RECOMMENDED for pre-procedure testing. 

Health Care Providers must obtain written documentation of results (i.e., paper copy or through patient portal) that includes the date of the test, collection date, patient’s name and another identifier (e.g., date of birth), type of test, and test result.”

Escorts of surgical patients must be vaccinated and show vaccination card, otherwise must have a Covid test 72 hours prior to surgical date.

*COVID TEST RESULTS ARE TO BE FAXED (212) 923-0075 OR EMAILED MK5477@NYP.ORG TO OUR OFFICE BY 12:00 PM NOON THE FRIDAY PRIOR TO YOUR SURGERY DATE OR YOUR SURGERY WILL BE CANCELLED*

Sincerest regards,
Michael Kazim, MD
Stephanie and Alasha