March 23, 2020

Dear Patients of AIANE,

As you know, we are in a time that requires all of us to make constant changes to our daily lives in order to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Our AIANE offices continue to follow all of the recommendations provided by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH). However, there have been few recommendations given with regards to handling patient flow in medical facilities such as ours. To date, we have been practicing social distancing and have massively increased sanitation protocols in all of our offices.

However, we have been working for several weeks on establishing temporary measures to provide the safest possible environment for both patients and our staff. Beginning Wednesday, March 25, 2020 all shot patients will be required to schedule an appointment in order to receive allergen immunotherapy and biologic medications in all AIANE offices. We will limit the number of shot patients scheduled at a time, maximizing social distancing and allowing us to disinfect at an even more frequent rate. We understand this is another challenge for you as patients, and that some of you may choose to suspend your allergy shots. If you choose this option, please be assured that we will get you back on schedule as quickly as possible when the pandemic recedes. In addition, we will be transitioning some patients, on a case by case basis, to monthly injections as appropriate. This will lessen the volume of shot patients requesting appointments while continuing to be beneficial to our patient’s health.

In addition, while our providers will still be available for necessary in-person visits, AIANE is transitioning to Telehealth online visits. As medical providers, we feel obligated to do our part to keep the burden of non-emergency visits out of our local emergency departments. Most insurance companies are covering these visits without any patient financial responsibility. We will be providing step-by-step instructions to you on how to access Telehealth as soon as we are ready to roll it out.

I am asking all of you to please be understanding and patient. In time, we will resume normal operations. Be well, stay safe. Wash your hands and don’t touch your face.

Thank you,

Dr. Jonathan L. Bayuk

President of AIANE