For Medical Professionals

All efforts are to protect our community from the spread of COVID-19 by reducing non-essential contact and exposure. Coronavirus Update: for Community Providers

Infectious Disease Resource

Dr. Keith Collins, Infectious Disease, is available for questions, please page him at (518) 574-5609. Dr. Lisa Mark, General Surgery, Chief Medical Officer for Alice Hyde Medical Center and CVPH is available at LMark@cvph.org.  Dr. Todd Whitman, Oncology, Assistant Chief Medical Officer for Alice Hyde Medical Center and CVPH is available by phone at (518) 645-6588 or by email at TWhitman@cvph.org. 

Important Notices 4/3/20

Provider call in with Drs. Collins, Guile and Mark.

Important Notices (4/2/20)

Below are recent statics, best practices and clinical tools from the NYS Department of Health, the World Health Organization and our local medical experts.  We have posted these to assist you in the care of our shared patients. 

Clinical Resources

FREE dedicated phone line for health care workers: Citizen Advocates

The Adirondack Region’s Capabilities and Processing Telemedicine:  Alison Guile, M.D., Regional Physician Leader

Transfusion Guidance :  Sarah K. Harm, M.D., Medical Director of the Blood Bank

Ventilator Management for COVID-19

PPE Guidelines from the World Health Organization

Advice on the use of masks in the community, during homecare, and in health care settings:  World Health Organization

University of Vermont Health Network Information and Resources

PPE best practices and guidelines memo:  Keith Collins, M.D., Infectious Disease

COVID-19 Management Guide

Palliative Care Toolkit for COVID-19

Protocols for Personnel to Return to work Following COVID-19 Exposure:  Department of Health

New York State Updates

State Update 3/31/20

State Update 3/30/20

Important Notices (3/31/20)

Lab and Imaging Hours Update

Changes to our diagnostic hours will go into effect Wednesday, April 1, 2020.  Please note we are now offering imaging to outpatients at the main CVPH hospital campus.  Please call Central Scheduling at (518) 562-7340.

Laboratory Services: 

Main CVPH hospital Campus: Open Monday-Friday 6am-5pm, Saturday & Sunday 8am-12pm

Medical Plaza Location: CLOSED

Valcour Location: Open every Tuesday 7am-3pm

Champlain North (located at Hudson Headwaters): CLOSED

Imaging Services:

Main CVPH hospital Campus: Open Monday-Friday 6am-5pm, Saturday & Sunday 8am-12pm.  Patients may walk in for X-ray service.  Please make an appointment for MRI, CT Scan, Ultrasound, and Nuclear Medicine by calling central scheduling at (518) 562-7340.

Medical Plaza Location: Open only open for PET Scans (by appointment)

Valcour Location: Open every Tuesday 7am-3pm. Patients may walk in for X-ray service.  Please make an appointment for MRI, CT Scan, Ultrasound, and Nuclear Medicine by calling central scheduling at (518) 562-7340.

Champlain North (located at Hudson Headwaters): CLOSED

Important Notices (3/27/20)

In an effort to protect mothers and newborns, the Pediatric Hospitalists have temporarily closed the Pediatric Unit at CVPH and will no longer be admitting pediatric patients to CVPH.  All pediatric patients that require admission will be transferred to either UVMMC or Albany Medical Center, depending on bed availability. We will re-assess this decision as the COVID-19 situation evolves.

Due to staffing adjustments needed at UVM, we need to limit the number of Pediatric Hospitalists that are able to cover/practice at CVPH.  As a result of this reduction in staffing, the Pediatric Hospitalists will be limiting in-person ED consults. By limiting our physical presence in the ED, we are attempting to reduce potential COVID-19 exposures to help keep the newborn nursery a “clean” unit. We will be available 24/7 for phone consultations with the Emergency Department, and are working on setting up telemedicine consults. In the case of a pediatric code or a severely ill pediatric patient, we will come in person to help care for the patient in the ED.

If you have any questions or concerns about the above precautions please do not hesitate to reach out to Stephanie Ryan, MD or Karen Leonard, MD.  For patient related issues, you may page the Pediatric Hospitalist through the CVPH operator or you may email Drs. Leonard and Ryan.

Karen.leonard@uvmhealth.org

Stephanie.ryan@uvmhealth.org

Important Notices (3/23/20)

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During this COVID-19 health crisis, all non-essential outpatient diagnostics have been suspended.  Outpatients with symptoms suggestive of upper respiratory infection (shortness of breath, fever, cough, etc.)  Will not be imaged within our main facility, even with an order from an outside physician.  Any outpatient that warrants chest imaging (chest x-ray or chest CT) should be considered sick enough to be evaluated by the Emergency Department. 

If a patient is well appearing on presentation to the ED with respiratory/infectious symptoms they are sent to our External ED (tent) for a medical screening exam, which determines whether they are appropriate for further testing or for immediate discharge. The only testing we are doing from the tent is strep testing since our flu/RSV/COVID testing is appropriately being limited to admitted patients.

If the patient is deemed appropriate for immediate discharge, they are discharged after their swab is obtained.  A CVPH staff member from the Results Call Center will call the patient and notify them of their results over the next 24 hours.  Patient results/lab reports will be provided to primary care offices as usual. 

If they are deemed to require additional evaluation (too sick, requiring additional testing, requiring treatment, etc...) they are sent back to the Main ED, masked, and roomed in our typical manner. 

It is important to note that with this new process there will be patients who have an outpatient order for a chest X-ray, whom are well appearing and are thus run through our external ED (tent), and are discharged without performance of a chest X-ray.

There will also be patients that are seen in the main ED but are felt not to need a chest X-ray by the ED provider; these patients will be discharged without completion of a chest X-ray.

We understand this new policy may cause concerns with patients and the initial ordering provider, but it is the right thing to do to slow the spread of the virus, protect patients and staff, and conserve valuable resources. 

Important Notices   (3/19/20)

There is a national shortage of Flu/ COVID-19 testing swabs and viral culture media.  The few tests that remain at CVPH are being used to test for flu/ COVID-19 on patients that are being admitted or are already in-patient who have since developed symptoms in an effort to manage our isolation rooms.  As of now we are not certain when further testing material will arrive due to nationwide shortages.  We will let private practices know as soon as testing supplies become available.

If a provider thinks a patient has the flu based on symptoms and a clinical exam they should prescribe Tamiflu if appropriate (within recommended time-frame).  If there is concern that a patient might have pneumonia they should prescribe appropriate antibiotics.

We have canceled all non-essential surgeries procedures, diagnostic and physician office appointments.

All visitation to CVPH is suspended as of March 18^th 9pm.  The only exceptions will be:

• 1 family member for a patient under the age of 18
• 1 coach for labor and delivery
• family members and legal representatives in imminent end of life situations

An experienced RN Case Manager is on call to answer the hotline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This facilitates getting the patient to the right bed, in the right facility, and will improve communication and efficiency. Referring physicians are linked to receiving physicians on a recorded line to ensure real-time capture of vital information

COVID-19 NYS Hotline

• The New York State Department of Health has established a toll-free Novel Coronavirus Hotline.  Call 888-364-3065.

Contact Us

Please reach Becky Larkin at RLarkin@cvph.org with feedback, questions or concerns.