The pandemic has shaken up life as we know it on a global scale. While many in the aesthetic community felt that we would experience a downturn in patient volume, this has not been the case. In our office, we are still seeing a regular influx of patients for surgical procedures such as our unique One Day Recovery Breast Augmentation and non-surgical procedures like fillers. However, patients still have some understandable anxiety and uncertainty about the safety of plastic surgery during a pandemic. In fact, one of the questions that I hear most often is: Is it safe to have plastic surgery during COVID? At our practice, the answer is a resounding “yes”.
Skip the Hospital, Book an Office Surgical Center
One of the differences I am seeing in my patients post-pandemic is that they are nervous about going into a hospital. I don’t blame them. This is why I am so happy to have an accredited surgical center at my office. In the past, it was standard for a patient to have his or her surgical procedure in a hospital setting, typically with an overnight stay. Then, hospitals created ambulatory surgical facilities so that a patient could leave after waking up from anesthesia. Today, the modern way of doing things is to skip the hospital and/or ambulatory surgical center altogether, and have your procedure performed in an office-based surgical center. This works for the predominant portion of my patients unless there is an underlying medical condition that requires a hospital setting.
Modern Facility Delivers Patient Safety
Our office surgical facility, though built pre-pandemic, is perfect for this COVID era. Completed a year and half ago, I took everything that I learned after Hurricane Sandy and built a completely modern office with an absolute up-to-date infrastructure. The foundation of my practice and the number one goal for every member of my team is patient safety. This is why, in many ways, the aesthetic community is perfectly situated to handle something like a pandemic. Our surgery center has the highest possible accreditation so it is built to verified hospital standards with:
- HEPA filtration
- Air exchanges
This means that the air is cleaned and circulated to hospital levels. But unlike a hospital, you are not going to see other patients.
Patient Portals Limit Patient Exposure
I pride myself on being an early adopter. For years, we have been using a patient portal so that all of your paperwork can be filed electronically. It saves both of us time and hassle. However, it has turned into even more of a boon during these crazy times. Filling out your paperwork electronically means no more sitting in the waiting room. This allows us to better control the flow of patients in and out of the office. There is rarely more than one person in the waiting room at a time and there is never more than one patient in an exam room. I also designed the office so that the exam rooms flank a dedicated 3-D imaging room. This allows us to take images of your breasts or abdomen, for example, without you ever having to encounter another patient.
Family is Important to Us
One of the pillars of my practice philosophy is that we are all family. I have patients that have been coming to see me for over two decades. When you walk through the door, my entire team will treat you with the care and consideration that they would a member of their family. Every choice that I made when designing my office was to make you feel comfortable and cared for in order to foster a sense of safety. We have always and will always put your best interests first.
To find out more about any surgical or non-surgical procedure with Dr. Mark Epstein in Hauppauge, Long Island, contact us today or call 631-689-1100 to schedule a consultation.
