Door County Medical Center is currently providing online Virtual Visits with one of their clinicians for people that have COVID-19 symptoms, or that have been diagnosed with COVID-19. COVID-19 is a serious illness caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Common symptoms include:
- Fever or Chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
Symptoms generally appear between 2 to 14 days after exposure and not all people will have the same combination of symptoms.
Scheduling a Virtual Visit
Scheduling a Virtual Visit is easy, requires just a few steps, and only takes a couple of minutes.
- Step 1: The Patient Portal. First, sign in to Door County Medical Center’s patient portal, which can be accessed by clicking here.
- Step 2: Schedule the Virtual Visit. On the homepage of your patient portal, click on the appointment icon (also called a “tile”) that appears on your computer or mobile device screen. This will take you to a new screen that gives you two options: “appointment request” or “Virtual Visit for COVID-19”—select Virtual Visit.
- Step 3: Select your Provider. Once you’ve selected Virtual Visit, you will be taken to a screen with the names of health care providers that can perform Virtual Visits. Choose from the list of provider names that appear.
- Step 4: Set a Date and Time. After you have selected a provider, their available appointment times will appear below their name. Select an available day and time that will be convenient for you, then select whether it will be a pediatric screening (17 and under) or adult screening (18 and over). Once you have provided a phone number where you can be reached, you will be taken to a confirmation page.
- Step 5: Fill out the COVID-19 Questionnaire. Once your appointment has been confirmed, you will be asked to first fill out a COVID-19 screening questionnaire, which asks you about your symptoms, and second, to sign a “consent to treat” form.
- Step 6: Check in for your Appointment. On the day of your Virtual Visit appointment, go to your patient portal homepage and click on the “check in” button. Next, you will be asked to update your personal information and sign the “consent to treat” form if you haven’t already. Once the consent form has been signed, click on “start visit” at the bottom right-hand corner of that same page.
Once you have started your visit, your health care provider will appear on the screen (in a manner similar to other video apps like Apple’s FaceTime) and you will be able to discuss your symptoms, as well as next steps, and treatment. If your provider suspects you may have COVID-19, you will be directed to call the COVID-19 hotline and set up an appointment over the phone to be tested for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus at DCMC’s drive-thru testing site.
Virtual Visits are not just for screening.
DCMC’s Virtual Visits are not only for screening for COVID-19 symptoms. If you have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and have developed COVID-19, you can continue to meet with a health care practitioner virtually to discuss how you are feeling, and how your symptoms are progressing. “So, we set up Virtual Visits for people who would want a deeper, more in-depth conversation with a clinician. If they have concerns about their symptoms, they might want to have an actual face-to-face visit with a provider” says Jodi Hibbard, Chief Clinical Officer at DCMC. Undeniably, Kelly Jorgenson, RN Supervisor of Primary Care at DCMC notes that, “Most of our Virtual Visits have been patients who have already tested positive and feel they are not getting better.” She adds, “We’ve even had situations where the patient has become quite sick and their spouse provides the needed input. This has been really nice since the hospital is currently limiting visitors. Virtual Visits allow people to be together—they allow for direct communication between the clinician and family members.”
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If you, a family member, or someone you know, may be developing symptoms of, or has already been diagnosed with, COVID-19, please consider setting up a Virtual Visit with one of Door County Medical Center’s health care providers through the patient portal. If you have not used the patient portal before, clicking here will take you to DCMC’s video tutorial, which covers creating a new account. Additional video tutorials for setting up appointments or for checking in to your appointment via computer or mobile device can be found on the patient portal homepage: https://www.dcmedical.org/patient-portal. Virtual Visits will be available through July 1st.
The COVID-19 screening hotline number is: 1-920-746-3700. It is available 7 days a week between 8AM and 4:30PM. For times outside of those hours, please call Prevea After Hours at 920-405-1415.