Now that stay-at-home orders are being relaxed, physician practices are planning how to reopen or cater to a larger number of patients while ensuring maximum safety for patients and staff. At the request of the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), ISMA formed a physician task force to compile guidelines for returning to clinical practice safely.

Task force members included physicians from throughout Indiana and from multiple specialties. The ISMA Safe Return to Clinical Practice Recommendations are not legal advice but can serve as a helpful checklist or starting point for practices to consider, in conjunction with other industry information.

On May 1, Gov. Eric  Holcomb issued Executive Order 20-26, which outlines the first and second phases of the five-stage plan for reopening Indiana’s economy. The administration also launched backontrack.in.gov, a hub for information regarding the five-stage plan. 

The governor’s orders have never mandated closure of physician offices, since health care operations were deemed essential. However, one executive order prohibited elective/non-urgent procedures, which are now allowed. Practices have also seen significantly fewer patients because of stay-at-home orders and patients’ general fear of contracting COVID-19, and most have limited their operations or shut their doors temporarily.

In addition to advice for reopening practices, ISMA’s recommendations include links to helpful coronavirus-related resources from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ISDH, facility associations and other stakeholders, and national specialty societies.  

The ISMA Safe Return to Clinical Practice Recommendations can be found here. The document will continue to be updated as additional COVID-19 guidance becomes available. 
Stay tuned to ISMA Reports and ISMA’s weekly COVID-19 Update (sent via email on Fridays) for the latest Indiana COVID-19 news.