Staying on top of your appointments before and after your orthopedic procedures is important. While it’s normal to feel apprehensive about coming to see the doctor and returning to the hospital during the pandemic, rest assured that we are taking all precautions to keep you safe. Risk assessments and additional options can be discussed for anyone who is in a high-risk population. Here are some changes to our clinic appointments and hospital procedures.

Scheduling an appointment

Don’t risk delaying care, you can schedule your appointment by calling Patient Support at 504-842-3970. You can also send a message to your physician through MyOchsner@ochsner.org. If you don’t have an account, you can click here to register. Consult with your physician to see if you need to be seen in person or if the visit can be done virtually.

In-person visits

New patient visits are best done in-person until we develop additional tools for a virtual visit. All orthopedic surgeries, including elective surgeries are now being scheduled. We ask that you only bring one visitor at the time of surgery as this will help with social distancing protocols. At this time, initial and post-orthopedic surgery appointments will be in-person to ensure a speedy recovery. Speak with your doctor if you are experiencing more complex medical issues or if you have a concern you’d like to speak about in person.

Virtual Visits

Virtual visits are a great way to keep on top of your appointments from the comfort of your home. These visits are best suited for common conditions or quick follow ups that can be easily examined and identified via your phone, tablet or computer camera and a few at-home diagnostic tools. Patients who are already established will get the option of a virtual visit. There are six different types of concerns that are best for virtual visits.

• Discuss test results
• Injection follow up visit
• Discuss an ongoing problem or pain
• Discuss rash or wound check after surgery
• Annual follow up from total joint surgery
• 6-12 month follow up from spine surgery

Outpatient Procedures

Most orthopedic procedures can be done outpatient, such as hip and knee replacements. We also offer same-day total hip and knee replacements. Please contact us to learn more.

Our safety measures

We have employed new safety and screening measures when visiting the clinic. Below are a few steps we’ve taken to keep you safe:

• Providing masks for all patients, staff and providers
• Organizing our locations to allow for social distancing by spacing our waiting room chairs 6 feet apart and adding social distancing stickers and signage to keep patients and employees safe
• Adding more hand sanitizer stations

The information in this blog post is accurate at the time of publication. However, as the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to change, it's possible that information has changed since being published. While Ochsner Health is trying to keep our blog posts as up-to-date as possible, we also encourage readers to stay informed on news and recommendations by using the CDC website.