- PPP: If you haven’t already applied for PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) do it now. This program allows you to receive 8 weeks worth of funding to go toward your payroll/rent/bills. At the end of the 8 weeks you can apply for loan forgiveness. As long as you’ve spent at least 75% of the loan on payroll for your staff and the rest has been applied to things like rent, mortgage interest and utility bills, and can provide receipts, up to 100% of the loan can be forgiven. You can get the PPP application form from the SBA here: https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2020-04/PPP%20Borrower%20Application%20Form.pdf
- Marketing and Promotion: You need to make sure you are continuously letting your patients/clients know that you’re open, what your changes in protocol are, any change in hours and that you’re there to take care of them. Don’t just change the greeting on your voicemail and call it good. Change the main page of your website, keep updating your social media, and send out email newsletters to your entire database. If you don’t currently have a newsletter, they are cheap and easy to produce using a service like Constant Contact (https://www.constantcontact.com/) or Campaigner (https://www.campaigner.com/). You can also put up vinyl signs on the outside of the building stating that you’re still open for emergencies or more, what your new hours are, etc. Let your clients or patients know that you are there for them.
- Telemedicine. With Telemedicine your practice can provide patients and clients with a secure patient portal to access data you share. It can provide secure messaging so they can start a clinical conversation. It means live video consultations for evaluations, assessments, pre-screening, check-ins and planning forward.There are turnkey solutions out there – you don’t have to invent the system yourself. For dentists, one service you can check out is MouthWatch Teledentistry https://www.mouthwatch.com/teledentistry/. For Optometrists/Ophthalmologists one choice is EyeCareLive https://eyecarelive.com/ and as of today, 05-05-20, they are waiving their $749+ “onboarding fee” for practices looking to get started during the Covid-19 pandemic.. For Veterinarians one choice is VetStoria https://www.vetstoria.com/telemedicine/.
- Social Distancing: Set up zones in your office. Remove some seating in waiting rooms so that chairs are at least 6 feet apart. Take the patient or client’s temperature and do a quick health assessment before allowing anyone in your office.
- Health and safety: Inform your patients and clients of what you are doing to ensure their health and safety. Let them know how you are cleaning and disinfecting, what safety protocols you are following, etc. Make sure they know that you are doing everything you can to be there for them in a safe manner.
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