Dothan Medical
Associates, P.C.
Information for Our Patients and Families of Dothan Medical — March 16, 2020
We are monitoring the coronavirus situation carefully and would like to relay some important information regarding our operations.
At this point, a lack of information is our biggest challenge. As a result of this, we are choosing to proceed with an abundance of caution and we will adjust as more information becomes available.
To date, we are unaware of any confirmed cases coronavirus cases in our area. However, we are still limited by a severe lack of testing, and so we feel that it is best to operate under the assumption that the virus is in our area until better data is available.
The primary symptoms that would raise concern for coronavirus are fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. In the initial phases, coronavirus presents as a “flu-like” illness. More severe cases tend to worsen after the first week, with increasing shortness of breath potentially requiring hospitalization for further care, to include possible ventilator support.
The primary goal at this point is to slow the spread and prevent the exhaustion of limited resources. This is best accomplished by social distancing. Avoid crowds, stay home, wash hands, and self-isolate if having symptoms of illness.
For patients without symptoms but possibly at high risk:
For our rheumatoid patients who are at high risk who are scheduled for rheumatoid office visits, we will be contacting you and possibly performing either video or phone visits. If we have patients who feel they are at high risk and had rather conduct their visit via telephone we will be glad to accommodate you. Please be patient with us. These are new processes for us and there will inevitable be some kinks. We will otherwise continue with routine appointments as scheduled.
For patients with symptoms:
If you are in a low risk group (less than 60 years old, no chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis), we ask that you stay at home and self-isolate. Monitor your symptoms, stay hydrated, and take ibuprofen or Tylenol as needed. Treat yourself as you would with the typical flu.
For those at higher risk of severe illness (age greater than 60, chronic health conditions), self-isolate and call the office for further guidance. Your provider will follow the CDC guidelines in reporting your symptoms.
Please avoid seeking care at ER facilities unless you have urgent symptoms requiring immediate attention, as there is potential for ER facilities to be overwhelmed caring for the sickest of patients.
Keep in mind, once again, that testing is very limited and there is no known treatment other than supportive care, so there is little to gain by seeking care at an ER unless absolutely necessary.
We plan to continue to remain open and will provide updates as the situation progresses.
Services

Our goals are to provide you with quality medical care and to treat you as we would like to be treated: with respect, courtesy, and compassion. We are responsible to ensure our patients receive only the highest level of quality care. The essential elements in our goals focus on maintenance of health, preventive health, and restoration of health in order to maximize our efforts toward improving quality of life.
We offer a variety of healthcare services right here in our office. All of our specialties take advantage of an in-house Laboratory employing two full-time lab technicians. Some of our other services include:
Bone Density
X-Ray
Pulse Oximetry
Ultrasound Guided Thyroid Biopsies
Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring
Insulin Pump Starts and Upgrades
Thyroid Ultrasound
Rheumatology Infusions
Holter Monitor
EKG
Patient Forms
We will ask you at every visit to verify your current address and contact information, and we will ask to see your current insurance cards to make certain we have your information correct. We do this to ensure that your insurance claim for services will not be rejected.
Once a year we will ask you to fill out new REGISTRATION FORMS in order to keep your information current in our system.
If you are scheduled for an annual visit, or if you have not been seen within the past year, we will ask you to print and complete the UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION forms below and bring them with you to your appointment.
Thank you for your confidence in Dothan Medical Associates, P.C.