Primary care doctors move toward online visits as COVID-19 spreads, hospitals limit services

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

While hospitals are prepping for a large number of patients because of the COVID-19 outbreak, smaller primary care doctors' offices are taking steps to ensure everyone gets the care they need.

University of Missouri Health Care announced Thursday it is canceling some elective procedures response to the outbreak.

The following is a list of the criteria for an elective procedure to be canceled at MU Health

• High-risk patients older than 60 or those with co-morbid conditions
• Patients with anticipated hospital stays longer than two days
• Procedures that require extensive use of personal protective equipment

MU Health Care is also limiting visitors to their facilities. Patients will be limited to one visitor, who is at least 18 years old, for their entire stay. Pediatric patients will be allowed two visitors. There will be exceptions for parents and guardians of children and end-of-life situations.

Below is guidance from MU Health on public entrances for each of the system's buildings.

• University Hospital: The main University Hospital circle drive entrance has closed. Visitors may enter through the first level of the Patient and Visitor Parking Garage during visiting hours from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Emergency Department entrance will remain operational for patients needing care.
• Ellis Fischel Cancer Center: The circle drive will remain open.
• Missouri Psychiatric Center: The entrance will remain open. 
• Women’s and Children’s Hospital: Visitors should enter through the main lobby entrance. The Emergency Department entrance will remain operational for patients needing care.
• Missouri Orthopaedic Institute: Visitors should enter through the second-floor circle-drive entrance on the east side of the building.

All visitors will be checked for a cough and fever at hospital entrances before being allowed to enter any MU Health Care facility.

Dr. Adam Wheeler, Founder of Big Tree Medical Home, said hospitals getting overrun by patients is the biggest thing he is worried about during the novel coronavirus outbreak.

"The hospitals and emergency rooms get inundated with really serious diseases from COVID-19 to the other thing they are dealing with because those problems are not going away right now, they just get extra work from that," Wheeler said. "They're going to have to push something away."

His clinic is staying open, but doing only online, over-the-phone and drive-up care, where patients can come and pick up medication and get tested for COVID-19 as well as other diseases.

Wheeler said about 80 to 90 percent of his primary care clinic's work can be done remotely through video, calls and texts.

"Telemedicine has been this technology that we have had around, but we didn't really have a great need for it," Wheeler said. "With all the isolation, telemedicine has really come into its own over the last few weeks."

Boone Hospital Center spokesman Ben Cornelius said it's clinics are also moving toward virtual appointments whenever possible.

Medical staff at Boone Hospital are working on changes to elective procedures, and more information should be released Friday. Cornelius said Thursday many of their smaller service like their fitness center, and some outpatient rehab services have already been closed.

As more health care providers move toward telemedicine, Wheeler thinks this is a shifting point for the health care industry that will benefit society beyond the coronavirus outbreak.

"I hope we are able to learn from this experience and it forces us to adopt modern technology as a health care system," Wheeler said. "And thus provide care to people who were really unable to get it even when there was not a COVID-19 problem."

Check back for more and watch ABC 17 News at 5 and 6 for a full report.