MetroWest Urology remains open to serve our patient’s urologic needs while also adhering to local and national guidelines in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We have made several changes to our workflow and schedule in order to meet the challenge of maintaining our standards for high quality urologic care while also keeping our patients safe during this pandemic.
For the safety of our patients and staff, we request that patients do not visit the office if they have symptoms of COVID-19 including a cough and fever or if they have had known or suspected contact with someone else with COVID-19. If needed, Drs. Kacker and Conners are able to provide urologic care to such patients in a safe and controlled setting at Leonard Morse Hospital and Framingham Union Hospital.
For patients without known or suspected exposure to COVID-19, our office remains open for care during normal business hours. While the pandemic is taxing our overall health systems, including emergency rooms, we recognize that patients may still have urologic needs that should not be delayed. Our staff is committed to addressing these urologic needs in a timely and safe manner. Some examples of emergent urologic conditions include urinary retention, urinary infections, symptomatic kidney stones, genitourinary injury, and other related conditions. We will also prioritize scheduled treatment and screening for patients who have urologic cancers or who are at elevated risk for developing urologic cancers such as prostate, bladder, testicular, or kidney cancer. Care should also not be delayed for patients on chronic therapy that requires monitoring for safety, including patients on desmopressin or patients on testosterone or hCG therapy. We also recognize that some fertility treatments require timely intervention and will make every effort to accommodate our patients needs in order to meet their fertility goals.
For patients with less urgent or “elective” urologic needs, we still aim to offer prompt and high level of care as before this public health crisis. However, may request your flexibility and cooperation in scheduling or in making use of telehealth options. For some patients, telephone consultations may be sufficient to meet chronic or routine urologic needs. Fortunately, many insurance plans are now covering telephone consults during this crisis. You can call us at 508-655-4422 or email us at info@mwurology.com to see if a telephone consult is appropriate for you.
Some patients will still require an in-person visit for an examination, for office-based procedures, or to obtain lab tests, ultrasounds and other studies. Our staff will direct you through our new office workflow designed to prevent patients from coming into contact with each other and to minimize the amount of time that patients spend in the office. We are paying particular attention to avoiding having more than two families in the waiting room at any given time, and may reschedule appointments or utilize space in the clinic or in other areas in the building as needed. While in the past you may have checked out at the front desk or waited in the clinic to discuss lab or ultrasound results, our office staff and providers will call you to discuss your lab tests and schedule follow-up appointments. We appreciate your patience and cooperation with any necessary rescheduling and with our modified office workflow.
We wish you and yours the very best in health and safety during these difficult times. Please do not hesitate to reach out by phone or email for questions or concerns about your care.
Sincerely,
Ravi Kacker, MD
William Conners, MD
Stephanie Pena, PA