A message for our patients regarding the COVID-19 virus:
Our ADH Care Centers will be offering telemedicine virtual appointments in addition to in office appointments. We will strive our best to maintain a safe and healthy environment for our patients. If you have been scheduled for a telemedicine appointment, please read the message below carefully for detailed instructions on your upcoming Telemedicine Virtual appointment.
Call your primary care doctor if you develop symptoms such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath, especially if you have come into contact with someone who has COVID-19, have traveled on a cruise ship, or traveled from an area with widespread COVID-19 infection.
We encourage all individuals to practice every day preventative actions to help prevent the spread of this virus.
We wish you, your family & loved ones the very best during this trying time.
- Allied Digestive Health providers
Please read this message carefully for detailed instructions on your upcoming Telemedicine Virtual appointment.
For your appointment, you will need to have access to an electronic device with video and audio capability:
- For PC / COMPUTER: Can use Safari, Chrome, or Firefox
- For any iOS (i.e. iPhone, iPad or any MAC device): MUST use Safari browser
- For any android: MUST use Chrome browser
- Fifteen minutes prior to your appointment time, please visit adh.doxy.me and check in to your doctor's virtual waiting room. IF THE DOCTOR IS RUNNING MORE THAN 30 MINUTES LATE you will be notified by the office.
- Once you click on the website adh.doxy.me, it will bring you to a page where you will see "Enter your clinician’s room name". Using the drop down arrow find your Physician’s name and click "Enter Room". This will enter you into your Physician’s "Virtual Waiting Room". You may also use the link sent to you via email and/or text message, which when clicked on will take you directly to the "Virtual Waiting Room".
- You will then be prompted to enter your name to "Check In" to let your Physician know you are in the waiting room.
- Once you click "Check In", you will be prompted for your camera to be enabled for the appointment. Please click "Enable Camera". Please note that when using a phone or any MAC device, you will be promoted to "Allow" access to the microphone and camera on your device. Click "Allow". You will then be in the waiting room where will be able to see if you Physician is online or offline.
- Once your Physician accepts the appointment, your virtual visit will begin.
Common Covid-19 questions and our current advice based off of CDC guidelines:
- Should I get vaccinated against Covid-19 if I have not already been vaccinated?
- Which vaccine should I get?
- What if I had a prior reaction to a different vaccine; is it still safe and advised for me to get vaccinated against COVID-19?
- What if I had a severe reaction to a COVID vaccine shot?
- I heard there is a BOOSTER approved for immunosuppressed persons; is it advised that I get this booster?
- high-dose corticosteroids (i.e., =20mg prednisone or equivalent per day)
- Methotrexate
- Imuran (azathioprine), Purinethol (6-MP), Tabloid (thioguanine), Xeljanz (tofacitinib), Zeposia (ozanimod)
- Biologics such as tumor-necrosis (TNF) blockers (Remicade (or biosimilar), Humira, Cimzia, Simponi); and other biologic agents such as Stelara and Entyvio.
- If you are on a different therapy than those and are not sure, please contact us. You do NOT need a booster if your IBD medication is just sulfasalazine, mesalamine ("5-ASA"), or budesonide (Entocort; Uceris).
- How do I get this booster?
- Should I stop my IBD medications if I have been exposed to COVID, been diagnosed with COVID, and/or am sick with COVID?
YES, we urge EVERYONE who is 12 years old or older to immediately get vaccinated against COVID-19. This includes patients on immunosuppressants, chemotherapy, and pregnant women. We anticipate future approval of vaccines for those under 12; at that time, those individuals should also get vaccinated.
We recommend one of the 2-dose mRNA vaccines: either Pfizer-BioNTech (if 12 years old or older) or Moderna (if 18 years old or older)
YES, the CDC does recommend proceeding with the appropriate COVID vaccine.
If you have had a severe allergic reaction or an immediate allergic reaction—even if it was not severe—to any ingredient in an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, you should not get either of the currently available mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna).
If you have had a severe allergic reaction or an immediate allergic reaction to any ingredient in Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (J&J/Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine, you should not get the J&J/Janssen vaccine.
"Effective August 13, 2021, CDC recommends that people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised receive an additional dose of an mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) at least 28 days after the completion of the initial mRNA COVID-19 vaccine series."
FOR IBD Patients, our interpretation suggests that this includes people who are being treated with:
The CDC and FDA have recommended that your booster be the same as the original vaccine you received. We do not know that this is necessary.
For exposures, usually not, but for infection, sometimes. These decisions must be individualized. Please contact us if this happens to you.
Additional Questions on "when to quarantine", "what to do if I suspect COVID", etc are all listed on the CDC's site: cdc.gov/coronavirus
We hope that this updated communication is helpful to you and your families and encourage you to share it with others to help encourage keeping people safe from this and other infections.
It is important that you do not stop your IBD medications on your own; please contact your medical team if you are ill and they can provide you with the appropriate guidance.
