Dear Valued Patients,
UPDATE: 4/17/2020
We hope you are staying healthy and doing well under the current conditions. While the "Stay At Home" order has caused significant limitations on how we care for our patients, telemedicine fortunately has exceeded our expectations and has been very well received by the public.
Over the past few weeks, we have had numerous calls for concerning conditions such as new itchy rashes, changing moles, new growths, and allergic reactions. Most of these can be handled with a telemedicine consultation, and prescriptions can be sent electronically to the pharmacy, several of which now offer home delivery.
Examples of other conditions that can be evaluated with telemedicine include psoriasis, eczema and other rashes, acne treatments including accutane, and consults for excisions of cysts, lumps, and moles, so that you will be ready for surgery once the stay at home order is lifted.
If you have an urgent condition and are scheduled for an in-office visit, keep in mind that as of yesterday, the LA County Department of Public Health now requires people to wear a face covering while indoors at essential businesses. Please arrive with one, as we are trying to maintain our limited stock of PPE to keep our employees protected.
If you need any MB Derm skin care products, please call us, and we can arrange to have them shipped to your home or picked up from our office in a safe manner.
To reduce the risk for exposure, we are still not booking appointments for routine skin cancer screening or for cosmetic treatments at this time. We suggest you check back with us once the "stay at home" order is reduced. We may have protocols based on your age, health conditions, and exposure risk that determine whether it would be safe for you to come in to the office for routine conditions.
As always, we are honored that you have placed your trust in us, and want to let you know we are here if you need anything. Currently, we are booking telemedicine consults and urgent in-office visits on Tuesdays and Fridays, and you can reach us at (310) 802-8180.
UPDATE: 3/20/2020
In light of the "Safer At Home" order by the Los Angeles County Public Health Department, although medical offices are exempt, we will be closing our office to the public and limiting care to all non-essential patient visits starting today.
If you are experiencing an urgent skin condition, contact us at medical@mbderm.com and we will advise you from there. Please allow at least 24 hours for us to respond to you.
TELEMEDICINE: We are now offering telemedicine visits over the phone… you can contact us at medical@mbderm.com to determine if this would be an appropriate way to evaluate your skin condition.
SKIN PRODUCTS: If you need to purchase skin products that we sell, please contact us first via an email to medical@mbderm.com to arrange a time for pick up.
3/16/2020
Here at Manhattan Beach Dermatology, your safety and your well-being are always our number one priority.
In light of the recent coronavirus outbreak, we want to provide an update regarding what our practice is doing to prioritize the health of our patients and team members. We are monitoring the situation closely and gathering data from primary sources; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and State/Local Health Departments.
First, we ask that you please contact us to reschedule your appointment if you have traveled outside the country in the last 2 weeks, if you are experiencing a cough, fever or having difficulty breathing or if you have a compromised immune system.
Second, we would like to convey that there have been no reported known cases of exposure to the coronavirus in our practice.
Third, we have temporarily waived cancellation fees for appointments so patients can feel comfortable cancelling if they are not feeling well in any way.
Fourth, our policy that prohibits employees from reporting to work who are showing any sign of illness will continue to be strictly enforced. We have and will continue to provide sick leave pay for our employees.
Fifth, even though our practice has always been a place where absolute sterility is the name of the game, here is an example of extra measures we are taking during this time to reduce any potential transmission:
Finally, if you are in fact ill and experiencing an urgent skin condition, please call the office before arrival so we can take special precautions in advance and have you enter the building through a separate entrance.
We welcome any comments or suggestions you may have. Please take care of yourselves and each other during this very challenging time for our country.
Sincerely,
Scott Rackett, MD, Dina Bierman, MD, Daniela Leslie, DNP, FNP-C & The MBD Team