COVID-19

We have had many calls to our nurse advice lines related to the coronavirus public health outbreak. As many of you are aware the CDC is responding to an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus that was first detected in China and which has now been detected in almost 90 locations internationally, including the United States and Canada. The virus has been named “SARS-CoV-2” and the disease it causes has been named “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”). In late January 2020 the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency.

Fonemed is closely monitoring and responding to this unfolding situation. Nurse advice is our core competency. Specially trained and licensed RNs available 24/7/365 evaluate patient symptoms, offer clinical triage and advice based on the best practice Schmitt/Thompson protocols. Dr. Barton Schmitt and Dr. David Thompson triage protocols are evidence-based protocols for telephone triage respected by medical practitioners, triage nurses and call centers in the United States, Canada and internationally. These protocols are updated frequently based on information from the CDC and WHO are used to triage any symptomatic or asymptomatic callers who may have been exposed to this virus, or to provide information to individuals concerned with risk exposure. 

All patient encounter details are documented in our database and forwarded to a secure Managed File Transfer Process (MFT) site, through our secure Health Management System. Our goal is to direct each patient to the most appropriate level of care in the most appropriate time frame. 

If you are a current client requiring changes to your call handling procedures or if you would like our triage nurses to assist you in managing your patient needs please contact us at 866-316-5009 or on our contact form.

This is a rapidly evolving situation and information will be updated as it becomes available. To learn more about COVID-19, see information released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the World Health Organization (WHO ).

For live updates from the CDC visit our Coronavirus update page as well.

Charlene Brophy
CEO