COVID-19 Response, Updates & Hometown Telehealth

Hometown Physician Services is dedicated to continuing to provide high quality at home medical care during this time of crisis. Our Medical Director, Providers and entire team are paying close attention to the latest recommendations from the CDC, local health departments and medical experts to continue providing optimal and needed continuity of care and chronic care management for our patients, as well as support for our communities.

It is very important to limit our elderly population’s potential for exposure to the coronavirus. We are taking this threat very seriously and our clinical staff follows a daily screening process to rule out any evidence of new infection. We will continue utilizing the appropriate protective equipment during patients visits, and we are closely monitoring testing guidance, availability and best recommendations.

In addition, Hometown offers Telehealth services to limit person to person contact when appropriate, and to enhance overall availability and quality of care. Telehealth involves the use of audio, video or other electronic communications for examinations, evaluations, consults with your healthcare provider(s), and/or reviews of your medical information for the purpose of diagnosis, therapy, follow-up and/or education. Telehealth services are very helpful to optimize care during this time; please contact us for questions or information, or begin the sign-up using our easy online Patient Enrollment tool.

We are monitoring this situation very closely and will continue providing important updates and guidance for our patients and communities.

Steps our providers are taking to keep our patients safe:
• social isolation: this is the most important intervention we or any other members of the community can take to limit the spread and therefore decrease mortality associated with this virus;
• continue proper hygiene and use of personal protective equipment as appropriate;
• daily screening for infectious risk factors;
• self-quarantine if necessary;
• travel restriction to only necessary activities;
• limit contact to only necessary Hometown staff;
• avoid use of unnecessary equipment or procedures;
• continue seeing patients in their own room and avoid common areas whenever able.

Please be sure to report any coronavirus symptoms such as fevers, fatigue, cough, difficulty breathing immediately to your Hometown provider.

Typical symptoms:
• fever 80%
• cough 80%
• difficulty breathing 50%
• sore throat (rare)
• rhinorrhea (runny nose) (rare)
• headache (rare)
• gastrointestinal (rare)
• nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

Typical course:
• Incubation is a median of ~4 days until symptoms develop, with a range of up to 14 days

Typical course of severe disease:
• Dyspnea (difficulty/labored breathing), ~ 6 days post exposure.
• Symptoms severe enough for need of Hospitalization, ~8 days post exposure.

Useful coronavirus links:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Wisconsin Department of Health Services: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/disease/coronavirus.htm
Minnesota Department of Human Services: https://mn.gov/dhs/covid-19/