This quick-start COVID-19 physician guide, curated from comprehensive CDC, JAMA and WHO resources, will help prepare your practice, address patient concerns and answer your most pressing questions.
Updated as of March 23, 2020
Prepare your practice or health system for COVID-19
- Resources for clinics and health care facilities: CDC resources
- Prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your practice or health care facility: Guides from WHO (PDF)
How to protect yourself from infection
- How to minimize exposure and implement standard and transmission-based precautions: Interim infection prevention and control recommendations
- How to manage your supply of personal protective equipment (PPE): CDC strategies for optimizing PPE
Diagnosing patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19
- Who should be tested for COVID-19 and how to get them tested: COVID-19 clinical criteria
- Health care professionals should immediately notify their local or state health department in the event of a PUI for COVID-19: Find your state and local health department contacts
- How to manage patients diagnosed with COVID-19: Clinical guidance from the CDC
- Read advice on people at risk for serious illness from COVID-19
What to do if you have been exposed to patients with COVID-19
- How to assess risk, monitor for symptoms and understand work restriction decisions for health care professionals with potential exposure to COVID-19: Interim U.S. guidance
- Return to work criteria for health care workers: Interim CDC guidance. Federal guidance may be adapted by state or local health departments to respond to rapidly changing local circumstances.
How to communicate with patients
- Common myths that you should be ready to debunk: The biggest misconceptions
- Advice to give patients who have suspected or confirmed COVID-19: Top advice from CDC
- Notices to inform travelers and clinicians about current health issues that impact travelers’ health: CDC travel notices
Medicare and Medicaid coverage information
- Medicare providers: CMS Medicare FAQ
- Coverage and benefits related to COVID-19: CMS Medicaid FAQ
- Information related to COVID-19 individual and small group market insurance coverage: COVID-19 fact sheet
Guidance on elective procedures
- CMS recommendations: Limit all non-essential planned surgeries and procedures, including dental, until further notice.
Telemedicine
- CMS Medicare health care provider fact sheet for telemedicine
- AMA quick guide to telemedicine in practice
