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May 13, 2020 -- Office update -- Here’s an update on the changes that have occurred at our office in the past 2 months due to COVID-19.
1) Telehealth: we have been doing telehealth (live video) visits daily during office hours since April 8, 2020, and things have been going well! Parents have given us overwhelmingly positive feedback so far, and Dr. Sato and Dr. Kimura have gotten pretty comfortable doing these appointments as well. If you haven’t already done a telehealth visit with our doctors, visit our Telehealth page for more information. To schedule a telehealth appointment for your child, give our office a call at 916-421-8245.
2) In-office appointments: we continue to do regular in-office appointments for all well visits as well as ill visits that cannot be seen as a telehealth visit. Per the official recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, we are no longer postponing well visits and we encourage you to schedule a well visit for your child if you have been waiting to do so, especially if your child is due for immunizations. We are continuing to do all well checks in the morning and all ill visits in the afternoon in order to further separate well children from ill children. This change in scheduling will be in place until the COVID-19 situation improves. For more information on the safety of in-office visits, read Is it OK to see my pediatrician during COVID-19?
3) If your child is ill, CALL OUR OFFICE FIRST before coming in to the office. Based on your child’s symptoms, you may be asked to wait in your car and call our office when you arrive for your appointment; a staff member will come out to your car to make sure you can enter the office safely to reduce exposure to others.
4) Prevention of virus spread: We continue to disinfect our office frequently and ask COVID-19 screening questions of all patients. Our doctors and staff are wearing masks for patient care, and we ask all patients and accompanying family members to wear a mask as well. When bringing your child to the doctor, please limit the number of other people coming as much as possible to reduce exposure.
5) What should you do if your child is sick? If your child is showing signs of illness but can be cared for at home, please keep your child at home unless they are completely symptom-free and do not go out in public to avoid exposure to others who may be vulnerable. If you are not sure how to care for your child at home, please call our office and our doctors will be happy to advise you, or see your child via telehealth or as an in-office appointment. Social distancing is the best way to limit the spread of the virus through our community. Maintain at least 6 feet between your household contacts and other people and help your children avoid touching surfaces that could be contaminated with the virus, including playground equipment. Wash your hands and your children’s hands frequently or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. Teach your children to cough into their arm and avoid touching faces. If you or your family members are sick, even with mild symptoms, stay home until the symptoms are completely gone.
6) COVID-19 information is changing frequently. Please call our office if you have questions, or check the CDC website for the latest information on COVID-19 and Healthychildren.org’s 2019 Novel Coronavirus page which contains links to many articles addressing questions and issues for parents and children regarding COVID-19. Here are some of the newest articles:
April 8, 2020 -- Telehealth is here! Our office is now providing telehealth visits through the Doxy.me interface! You can schedule a secure, HIPAA-compliant live video appointment (“telehealth visit”) with Dr. Sato or Dr. Kimura that can be done from the comfort of your own home by using your smartphone or the webcam on your home computer. We will be offering telehealth visits for many types of sick visits (not well visits) by appointment only for existing patients (new patients must be seen for a regular in-office appointment first to be eligible for telehealth visits). You can schedule a telehealth visit for your child by calling our office at 916-421-8245 as you would for a regular appointment. If a telehealth visit is appropriate, our staff will help you schedule one. We will also continue to have in-office appointments available for well child care and sick visits. We will be using the Doxy.me platform for telehealth visits. Doxy.me works through your internet browser (i.e. Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge) and does not require downloading any special apps. For more information on how Doxy.me works, you can visit https://doxy.me/patients. For more information on our office Telehealth appointments, visit our office Telehealth Page. If your child already has a scheduled telehealth appointment with Dr. Sato or Dr. Kimura, go to the Telehealth Page for instructions on how to start your visit.
September 25, 2019 -- Flu vaccine is now available for all children 6 months and older (either private or Medi-Cal insurance).
1) If your child is due for a well child visit between now and the end of November, he or she can receive the flu vaccine at their well child visit. If your child is not due for a well visit before December, please call our office to schedule OR self-schedule a flu vaccine appointment on the Patient Portal for your child to receive a flu vaccine.
2) To make an appointment online for your child to receive a flu vaccine, log in to our Patient Portal, select your child’s name, and click on the “Flu Clinic” tab to self-schedule an appointment during our flu clinic hours (offered on most Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from 4:30 to 5:15PM). If you are having trouble scheduling an appointment through the Portal or need a time other than during our flu clinic hours, please call our office to schedule a flu vaccine appointment.
3) Please remember that a flu vaccine appointment allows only enough time for your child to receive the flu vaccine. If your child needs to be seen by the doctor for any issues other than simply receiving a flu vaccine, please call our office to make a regular ill visit or well check appointment instead.
4) A yearly flu vaccine is recommended for all kids aged 6 months to 18 years old.
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