Cedars-Sinai Resumes In-Person Clinic Visits and Surgeries

Cedars-Sinai has begun a phased reopening of its medical offices with in-person appointments and resumed medically necessary surgeries and procedures that had been postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The public health crisis required Cedars-Sinai and hospitals across the country to change the way they deliver care, prompting greater reliance on video visits and phone consultations. Based on guidance from county and state health authorities, Cedars-Sinai now is moving to expand direct outpatient and inpatient care while continuing to offer telehealth options that have proved highly popular among patients.

"Although our patients can continue to access our care through video visits or via phone during California's stay-at-home order, we are excited to also welcome them back in person," said John E. Jenrette, MD, executive vice president of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Network.

"We are reaching out to our patients to let them know it's important to not delay their healthcare, especially if they have a chronic condition such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure," Jenrette said.

Cedars-Sinai staff are actively developing plans to increase capacity at outpatient clinics and in operating rooms in the days and weeks ahead. Teams are taking these steps after reviewing supplies of personal protective equipment for staff to ensure the safety of patients and employees. As these plans evolve, Cedars-Sinai urgent care centers remain open and available to patients.

Jenrette and other leaders emphasize that Cedars-Sinai has taken a number of precautionary measures to ensure safety at our hospitals, outpatient clinics, urgent care centers, surgery centers, emergency rooms and other locations. These include:

• Appropriate temperature checks for those entering our facilities, including staff
• Universal masking of employees, physicians, patients and visitors
• Physical distancing in our waiting areas and clinical areas
• Limiting visitors to our outpatient and inpatient facilities
• Designating specific zones for COVID-19 patients, separating them from other patients as appropriate

More information for patients and visitors is available here.

Cedars-Sinai continues to make every effort to ensure that patients get the care they need in a safe and timely manner. The staff are committed to delivering quality healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We will closely monitor the situation and make adjustments as needed, always putting the health and safety of our patients and staff first," said Jeffrey A. Smith, MD, JD, MMM, executive vice president of Hospital Operations and chief operating officer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. "We are committed to serving our community during this unprecedented time."

Read more in Discoveries magazine: The Race to Develop a Vaccine for COVID-19