Back to Business with a New Normal...

Our office has been open to seeing patients in the office as of May 1, 2020 and performing preventative visits as of May 15, 2020. We have implemented a scheduling method so we do not have more than one patient in the waiting room at a time and also try to gather most of the required information over the phone or online to make the check-in process quick and easy and hygienic. Our staff clean and sanitize each patient rooms before and after each visit and use gloves and masks while seeing patients. We also ask all the patients to wear a mask when entering our office. We also tend to mix the schedule between in-person and virtual visits and think a lot of visits can continue to take place virtually, via telemedicine such as some medication refills, weight loss follow-ups, etc. Currently we are NOT seeing patients who have symptoms of upper or lower respiratory infection such as fever, chills, shortness of breath, body aches, etc.

Here is a typical visit:

• Our front door is locked. Please knock and one of our staff will greet you and check your temperature. If you do not have a temperature (below 100F), you are let in.
• We have hand sanitizers to use.
• You are checked in and required documents such as driver's license, insurance card, copay are gathered.
• you are directed to one of our four patient rooms by one of our medical assistants.
• your vital signs are taken and the MA who will gather some information for your chart and the reason for your visit.
• Dr. Shafipour or our nurse practitioner, Laura (depending on who you are scheduled with) visits you in your room and talks to you and performs physical exam, etc.
• If doctor has orderd labs to be drawn or immunization or other orders,  our MA will come back and draw blood or administer immunization, etc.
• You will check out with the front desk and appropriate After Visit Summary is provided to you.
• Your visit is done!
• Your room gets sanitized by one of our hardworking staff and your laboratory work is prepared to send out to the appropriate lab
• Depending on your laboratory work-up, you will receive a call in a few days about labs by Dr. Shafipour or one of our staff.

You can make an appointment by calling our office at 310-400-5565 or by making an appointment online by using this website. 

To Health,

Dr. Shafipour and staff

Author

Dr. Pouya Shafipour, MD Pouya Shafipour, MD, in Santa Monica, California, is a board-certified family medicine specialist with subspecialty training in a field of medicine known as bariatric or obesity medicine. He uses safe and effective medications in conjunction with dietary, nutritional, behavioral, and exercise counseling to manage obesity and medical conditions related to excessive weight gain or loss.