Created for MDP Team Members

General

1. What is coronavirus and COVID-19?
   • There are many different types of viruses that naturally exist, and coronaviruses are a type that can often cause disease and illness. A newly identified type has caused a recent outbreak of respiratory illness, now called COVID-19, that started in China. Transmission of the virus is typically airborne, resulting from close contact with someone infected who is coughing or sneezing. It may be possible that a person could become infected by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
   • For more information and education, please check out the Precaution & Prevention video found in the sidebar.
2. What is MDP doing in response to the crisis?
   • While our standard protocols include frequent sterilization and disinfection of all operatories and work spaces, using personal protective equipment and maintaining proper hygiene practices, we have taken several extra precautions in recent weeks to protect both our team members and patients. We’ve restricted travel, rescheduled appointments for patients experiencing flu-like symptoms, asked all team members to stay home when sick, and found alternatives to hand-shaking when greeting each other and patients. We have also postponed all non-essential procedures at our practices and are currently providing emergency-only care. 
   • In order to provide our team members with the most up-to-date information necessary to navigate this environment, we have created a dedicated internal webpage to help ensure that our entire team is kept fully informed as the situation progresses. Through this internal website we are re-distributing all relevant policies and procedures, along with patient screening guidelines and CDC resources, to help minimize the risk of exposure to our team members.
3. How will I receive future updates?
   • All communication from the MDP national support team will occur in one of two ways. First, any communication considered to be “urgent” will be sent to team members via email. Please consider these messages to be the highest priority. All other communication will

Prevention Guidelines

4. As an MDP Practice Team Member, what are the best practices to prevent getting or transmitting the coronavirus?
   • The consistent and expected use of PPE (personal protective equipment), including gloves, masks, eye protection, and lab coats
   • Regular hand washing
   • Respiratory hygiene / cough etiquette
   • Receive flu vaccine annually
   • Stay home if you experience flu-like symptoms
   • Sharps safety and disposal
   • Sterilization of instruments and handpieces
   • Look for creative ways to greet one another and patients instead of the traditional handshake
   • Frequent cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces:
     • Standard precaution disinfection between each patient in the operatory
     • Frequent cleaning and disinfection of common surfaces such as door handles, phones, keyboards, bathrooms, railings, desks, etc.
5. As an MDP Support Team Member, what are the best practices to prevent getting or transmitting the coronavirus?
   • Regular hand washing
   • Respiratory hygiene / cough etiquette
   • Receive flu vaccine annually
   • Stay home if you experience flu-like symptoms
   • Consider telework and the use of virtual tools for meetings, etc.
   • Look for creative ways to greet one another and guests instead of the traditional handshake
   • Frequent cleaning and disinfection of common surfaces such as door handles, phones, keyboards, bathrooms, railings, desks, etc.

Action Items – what we’re asking you to do differently until further notice.

6. How have we changed the way our dental practices operate?
   • To ensure the safety of our patients and team members, and in compliance with federal and state recommendations, we are postponing all non-essential dental procedures due to the coronavirus outbreak. We will continue to be available for patients who need emergency care as determined by our doctors.
   • When patients arrive for emergency care, we are following specific protocols to limit the potential for exposure.
   • We are continuing to follow standard PPE, sterilization and disinfection protocols, which eliminate the viruses that cause communicable diseases like COVID-19.
7. What should I do if a patient has symptoms of the virus?
   • If a patient has been experiencing flu-like symptoms or if they have been in contact with anyone diagnosed with coronavirus, please reschedule the appointment 8 weeks or further.
   • If a patient is present in your practice and self-reports symptoms or a positive diagnosis of COVID-19, please complete the Incident Reporting System found on our new internal webpage (see FAQ #9).
8. What should I do if a Team Member has symptoms or contracts the virus?
   • Please refer to the MDP Team Member COVID-19 Exposure Policy for detailed guidance on this topic.
   • If a team member self-reports symptoms or a positive diagnosis of COVID-19, please complete the Incident Reporting System found on our new internal webpage (see FAQ #9).
9. Is there an incident reporting system for tracking contact with the coronavirus?
   • Yes, we have developed an online reporting system that can be accessed via the internal coronavirus webpage. Practice Managers, Doctors and Regional & Support Leaders will have access to enter incident reports for patients and team members who self-report symptoms or a positive diagnosis of COVID-19.
   • All reported information will be kept strictly confidential and only available to select leaders who have a need to know.
   • Team members should the incident reporting form to familiarize yourself with the information requested. Please attempt to collect as much of the requested information as possible. For any information that the patient is not willing to share, please do not pressure them and just leave those fields blank when submitting.
10. Has our business travel policy changed in light of the coronavirus?
    • Until further notice, we will restrict all non-essential company travel within the organization. Please speak to your supervisor if you have travel plans.
    • MDP is taking proactive measures to limit the potential exposure of our team to the COVID-19 virus. We feel these actions are a prudent way to safeguard both our team members and patients.
11. What if I travel out of the country, state, or to an infected region?
    • We encourage team members to evaluate their personal travel to minimize the risk of exposure outside of the work environment. If your travel exposes you to a confirmed case of the COVID-19 virus, you may not be able to work for a period of time. The federal, state and local guidelines governing these situations are evolving and we can not predict how they will be handled as time progresses.
    • As of now, the Amazing Race trip to Mexico, remains as is. This will be updated and communicated more closely to the time of the trip.
12. How should we handle group meetings that are being planned or are currently scheduled?
    • As another proactive measure to limit the potential exposure of our team to the COVID-19 virus, we will be rescheduling any group meeting with 15 or more team members from now through May 1st. You are encouraged to take advantage of virtual meeting and conferencing capabilities when possible during this time period. We will reassess whether to extend this decision as more information becomes available. Events such as Days of Learning, Summits, Top Docs and other regional events are will be postponed and a final decision for rescheduling will be made at a later date.

Media Relations and Trusted Sources of Information

13. What if I’m contacted by the media?
    • If you are contacted by a member of the media about MDP’s response to the coronavirus situation, please direct them to our PR and Communications Manager, Emily Kiefer, at emily.kiefer@mdpweb.net.
14. Can I talk about the coronavirus on social media?
    • Please review MDP’s guidelines around social media and public relations. Please remember that you should not post confidential medical information about a team member or patient on any public forum.
15. Where can I get more trusted information?
    • You can find the most up-to-date information about MDP’s response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) through our internal coronavirus webpage. All urgent updates will also be communicated to our team members via email.
    • Additional trusted resources include the CDC, the American Dental Association or your state or local health department.