In the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak, Suburban Ear, Nose, and Throat Associates has instituted new safety guidelines for patients coming in for an office visit. These guidelines, as recommended by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, have been designed to keep our patients and staff safe, while we continue to provide the same level of exemplary care for our patients. We appreciate your understanding and respect for the following policies:

• All patients coming in to the office will be required to wear a mask. Unfortunately, we don't have the mask supplies for patients who do not have one. If you do not have a mask, we will not be able to see you. A scarf or bandana across the nose and mouth will suffice.
• All of our staff will be wearing protective masks. Physicians will be wearing masks during the entire office encounter.
• We have aerosol shields at the check-in and check-out desks. Markers on the floor will designate where it is appropriate to stand near the check-in and check-out desks to respect 6 foot social distancing.
• We will do our best to facilitate getting patients directly into exam rooms after checking in to minimize exposure in the waiting room. If there is a delay, we may ask you to kindly wait in your car until we call you to come back for room placement.
• Every exam room will be completely wiped down between patients. The entire waiting room will be wiped down every hour.
• HEPA filters have been placed in special exam rooms designated for procedures that involve scoping or biopsies. Rest assured, our scopes have always been thoroughly sterilized between patients based on infection control guidelines.
• We ask that patients complete their check-in forms online before showing up in the office.
• If you would like to schedule an office visit, please call our office at 847-259-2530. All patients will be screened over the phone to determine if they are a good candidate for a live office visit. If, based on our screening, you are judged to not be a good candidate for a live office visit, or you simply want to wait a little longer before venturing out of your home, we will continue to offer virtual telehealth visits with either a smartphone, tablet, or computer. We have been successfully using Facetime for those with iPhones and for all others, the website: Doxy.me.

Once again, we at Suburban Ear, Nose and Throat are appreciative of your understanding as we navigate through this new normal.