What GTP is Doing To Keep You Safe

Written By Rachele Wright

We are committed to ensuring access to care and to creating a safe environment

The four key ways in which we are accomplishing this include:

  1. Telemedicine as a Triage Tool

  2. The Car as the Waiting Room (and other contactless safety measures)

  3. Well Only and Sick Only Clinic Spaces

  4. 24/7 Remote Availability

1. Every Sick Visit Starts as a Telemedicine Visit.

Telemedicine: Last year, telemedicine represented 1% of total visits; during March and April of this year that number averaged 70%. What has been most encouraging is the consistent feedback we received from providers that they are confident in the level of care they have been able to provide.

For same day sick visits, we can now assess most symptoms through an initial telemedicine visit which keeps patients at home and reduces traffic in the office. If the visit converts into an onsite visit, we can determine whether the patient should be seen in a Well or Sick symptom office.

Some of our planned visits for ADHD, anxiety and depression can be scheduled as a telemedicine visit. We have even figured out how to conduct a hybrid Well Visit for a families who want to further minimize the amount of time that they are onsite in the office.

2. Contactless Measures

In addition to using the car as a waiting room, we are asking families to check in prior to entering the office, which includes COVID screening and many of our (formerly) paper forms, as well as to text us when they arrive.

3. Well and Sick Only Spaces


In Person Visits: We are doing as much as we can to  keep people at home by 

  • using telemedicine whenever possible for planned visits like Medicine Reviews

  • limiting chaperones to one healthy adult (as possible),

  • telemedicine has been extremely helpful for providers to determine which sick visits must absolutely need to be treated in person and in our office.

What Steps Are We Taking to Keep Staff and Families Safe in Our Offices: 


Ann Arbor (Well Visit office):

  • Screening families for transmission risk factors

  • Denying entrance to the office to anyone with fever or respiratory symptoms and to anyone with sick contacts at home

  • Requiring remote check in for visits

  • The door is locked and we are limiting access to the office space to GTP team members whose presence is clinically necessary and patients (to be accompanied ideally by a single healthy chaperone)

  • Staff is engaging in daily temp monitoring before coming to work to ensure the absence of fever and any person who enters the office space for an appointment has their temperature taken at the door. 

  • We are engaging in social distancing in the office among staff, including at lunchtime and to the extent possible during a patient visit

  • We are wearing masks and gloves for all patient contact.

  • We have switched out the non-alcohol-based hand sanitizer for alcohol-based hand sanitizer

  • We are cleaning and wiping down surfaces extensively

  • We are complying with new lab pick up procedures to limit contact for ourselves and the lab drivers

Chelsea (Sick Visit and Well Visit Office):

  • Everything we are doing in Ann Arbor office- on the Well Side and special precautions for patients being seen on the Sick side, which is physically separated from the Well Side and has its own entrance

Chelsea Sick Side

  • Heat has been turned off and we are using space heaters to reduce air circulation

  • We have determined the air exchange rate to ensure enough time lapse between visits

  • All doors are closed inside the office building 

  • Almost every visit starts as a telemedicine visit to determine whether it makes sense to bring the patient into the office: sometimes, the patient can be assessed and managed via telemedicine and if they need to be seen, we have a safety plan in place before the family arrives at the office 

  • GTP team is wearing masks and masks are offered to parent chaperone and to patient (if age appropriate), as well as other appropriate PPE

  • We are limiting high risk procedures, including nebulizer treatments and swabbing for possible strep, to what is absolutely unavoidable, for the protection of the team

24/7 Remote Availability

Part of our commitment to being your medical home is safe access to care when you need it. Here are the ways you can connect with us outside regular business hours:

Rachele Wright http://www.wrightoutcomes.net
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