On the front line: Primary care office responds to community’s new needs

Grandview Medicine’s Dr. Michael Luther has been on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, performing COVID-19 testing at Grandview Medical Group Primary Care in Homewood since the outbreak began in mid-March.

As he and his staff left work Friday, March 13, they were discussing the news about the coronavirus and wondering if it would start affecting the way they saw patients. The answer came just three days later.

Once they arrived at work the following Monday morning, they had an emergency meeting, and the office transitioned into a new model.

Another step taken was setting aside parking spaces to do COVID-19 testing. If patients had symptoms, they were to stay in their cars and call the office. They were not going inside so the waiting room and exam rooms were not contaminated, thus allowing the more vulnerable patients to still come and have an in-person visit.

“The first week, we saw a few patients a day, about four to five on average,” Luther said.

“The second week our busiest day in the parking lot was 12 patients, then the next week was really busy. During the first six weeks, we’ve done around 140 visits in the parking lot, swabbing those people for coronavirus and only had a few positives.”

Initially, the time it took to receive test results ranged from three to seven days, but Luther looked for a faster way. He found a lab in Huntsville with a 48-hour turnaround and switched over to it. “It’s a lot more clinically reliable to tell someone their results in two days instead of seven,” he said.

During the first week, he was given the go ahead to conduct telemedicine so he could continue managing his chronic disease patients without them having to come into the office, which he calls “a lifesaver.”

“The whole Grandview system has done a great job in prioritizing patient health and employee health first,” Luther said. “Our administrative folks and clinical folks have done a great job, and our patients have been really understanding and appreciative having three different options of how to receive their care.”

As the end of April neared, Luther said he was doing one-third of patient visits in the parking lot, one-third via phone and one-third in person. He said he was glad they were able to take care of the people.

“This last week [of April], the number of COVID patients started falling off, either because social distancing guidelines are working, or because people just started saying home with mild symptoms and did not seek testing,” Luther said.

Luther alternated between two N-95 masks for more than six weeks and kept one spare in his desk drawer. He also wore a mask piece and face shield and had enough gowns and gloves. He chose to wear his N-95 mask during every patient visit to avoid having to self-quarantine in the event they presented symptoms later.

He also takes precautions at home to protect his wife and four kids. He takes his work shoes off in the car, throws his clothes in the washer and takes a shower as soon as he gets home.

“The kids know when I walk in the door, nobody comes and hugs daddy until he has had a shower,” he said.

Leisha Harris, marketing director at Grandview Medical Center, said there has been a significant decline in people coming into the emergency room with other significant issues.

“If you have symptoms of a stroke or heart attack, you need to get here,” she said. “You won’t be in the same area with someone suspected of having COVID; we triage those patients differently. It’s really important the community understands the ER is open for patients other than COVID. How people envision it is very different than how it is.”