COVID-19 Information

Visitation Guidelines for Outpatient Clinics Effective October 11, 2021

One designated visitor age 18 or older is allowed to accompany each adult patient to an appointment. Two parent/guardian designated visitors ages 18 or older are allowed to accompany each pediatric patient to an appointment. Exceptions to this policy include:

An additional aide, assistant, or caregiver may accompany a patient when their presence is required.

An additional child/sibling under the age of 18 may accompany the patient when a caregiver has no other reasonable option for childcare.

An additional child/sibling may accompany the patient when a caregiver has no other reasonable option for childcare.

Any prior location/clinic-specific restrictions may continue to apply.

All visitors will be screened alongside patients and must follow the restrictions below.

Additional Restrictions

All visitors will wear masks in addition to our team members and patients who can tolerate them. Visitors may bring their own masks or one will be provided.

If visitors are feeling ill, they should refrain from visiting. No visitor with fever, cough, cold, or flu-like symptoms will be permitted to enter.

All visitors will be screened. These screenings require everyone to sanitize their hands, put on a mask and answer questions about symptoms of illness and exposure risks prior to entering the facility. Based on the results of this screening, visitors will be welcomed into the facility or asked to return to their car with instructions to follow up with their health care provider.

No one should visit a patient if they have come into contact with someone who is under investigation or tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 14 days.

Visitors should maintain six feet of distance from individuals outside their household while eating or drinking.

Visitors should avoid eating or drinking in patient rooms, waiting rooms, or lobbies, as these are high-risk activities for the spread of infection.

Updated Mask Policy effective May 14, 2021

Masks still required in healthcare settings for all people. The CDC update on May 13, 2021 states that fully vaccinated people may resume most activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal or territorial laws, rules and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.

Please note that this update does not apply to the healthcare setting, and no changes have been made to the masking policies for DUHS patients, visitors or team members as of now. We remind everyone on our campuses of our mandatory masking requirements, even if they are vaccinated. We continue to encourage team members to get vaccinated and will continue to re-evaluate our guidance as necessary.

Updated Visitation Policies Effective March 21, 2021

One visitor over 12 years of age is allowed to accompany each patient to an appointment. Exceptions to this policy include:

An additional aide or assistant may accompany a patient when their presence is required,
An additional child/sibling may accompany the patient when a caregiver has no other reasonable option for childcare,
Additional exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

All visitors will be screened alongside patients prior to entering the clinic and must follow the restrictions below.

Additional Restrictions

All visitors will wear masks in addition to our team members and patients who can tolerate them. Visitors may bring their own mask, or one will be provided.
If visitors are feeling ill, they should refrain from visiting. No visitor with fever, cough, cold or flu-like symptoms will be permitted to enter.
All visitors will be required to pass a health screening at one of our designated entry points. These screenings require everyone to sanitize their hands, have their temperature checked, put on a mask and answer questions about symptoms of illness and exposure risks prior to entering the hospital. Based on the results of this screening, visitors will be welcomed into the facility with a wristband or asked to return to their car with instructions to follow up with their healthcare provider.

Updated Visitation Policies Effective June 24

Your safety and well-being are our top priority. Effective Wednesday, June 24th, North Carolina Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat has modified its visitation guidelines based on recommendations from the CDC and Duke infectious disease experts.

• One visitor is allowed to accompany each patient to an appointment unless an additional aide or assistant is required.

• Visitors will be screened alongside patients prior to entering the clinic.

Additional Restrictions

• All visitors will wear masks in addition to our team members and patients who can tolerate them.Visitors may bring their own mask, or one will be provided.

• If visitors are feeling ill, they should refrain from visiting. No visitor with fever, cough, cold or flu-like symptoms will be permitted to enter.

• All visitors will be required to pass a health screening at one of our designated entry points. These screenings require everyone to sanitize their hands, have their temperature checked, put on a mask and answer questions about symptoms of illness and exposure risks prior to entering our clinics.

We recognize these restrictions may be difficult for you and your loved ones. This is an unprecedented time, and the COVID-19 visitor policy is intended to provide additional safeguards for our patients, families, visitors and team members. Thank you for your understanding and support of our commitment to safety.

At North Carolina Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat, your safety and well-being continue to be our highest priority. In our community and nationwide, people have been putting off needed healthcare visits because they are afraid of exposure to COVID-19. Delaying care in this way can have a negative – and potentially life-threatening – impact on one’s health.

While the novel coronavirus has not gone away, at NCEENT, you should feel confident that we acted early and continue to do everything we can to safely provide needed care to our patients. We’ve been successful at making rapid changes during the COVID-19 outbreak because we always have you in mind, from enhanced cleaning, to screenings and providing face masks to our team members, patients and visitors.

Please watch the video below to learn more about our efforts to keep you safe.

We also continue to offer financial assistance for patients who qualify during these challenging times. A no-interest payment plan is also available for patients who cannot pay 100% of their bill. You can apply for this plan or request assistance via your MyChart account or by calling our Customer Support line at 800-782-6945.

The world around us is changing, but know that our doctors, nurses and staff are taking every precaution to protect you. We look forward to caring for you.

During this challenging time, North Carolina Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat is grateful for your help in preventing the spread of COVID-19. You have played an important role in protecting yourself, your family and our community.

To prepare for the rise of COVID-19 in our community, we had to delay some appointments, surgeries and procedures. This delay was critical for our response. However, we are now able to begin safely rescheduling needed appointments and surgeries.

Providing Safe Care

To protect those receiving care in our facilities, we are following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and our infectious disease experts. Those precautions include:

Requiring all team members, providers, patients and visitors to wear masks.
Screening every person for symptoms before entering our facilities and testing all patients for COVID before all surgeries and procedures
Rearranging our waiting rooms to encourage physical distancing.
Performing enhanced cleaning of exam rooms between every patient and deep cleaning every night.
Installing additional hand sanitizing stations
Allowing more time between appointments and offering extended hours at some locations. This may mean some upcoming appointments will still need to be rescheduled as we work to see patients while reducing the overall number of people in our clinics at any given time.

Don’t Delay Needed Care

It is important to note that you should not delay care like well-checks and other preventative appointments, and you should continue to take your medicine as prescribed by your doctor. Delaying care can lead to complications and advanced stages of disease.

Telehealth Options

Your appointment may be rescheduled as a phone or video visit. Your healthcare provider can tell you if a telehealth visit will work for you. Learn more about these options and how they work on DukeHealth.org. You can also sign up for a Duke MyChart account if you don’t have one.

Financial Assistance

We are here to support you and continue to offer financial assistance for patients who qualify. A no-interest payment plan is also available for patients who cannot pay 100% of their bill. You can apply for this plan or request assistance via your MyChart account or by calling our Customer Support line at 800-782-6945.

Thank You

We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. Please know that we are doing everything possible to minimize the spread of the virus and protect you, your loved ones and our team.

Effective April 2, 2020
North Carolina Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat Optical Center Open Reduced Hours
Our opticians are available to assist patients with optical emergencies such as broken glasses and contact lens orders. Our team can complete most repairs in our center.
If you need to visit our center, please call our North Durham Optical Center 919-595-2001 to schedule an appointment.
If you need to order contact lenses, please call 919-595-2001 or click here.

Effective April 1, 2020
North Carolina Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat is now offering Video and Telephone appointments.
Please call 919-595-2000 to schedule an appointment to virtually connect with your provider from any mobile device or computer with a webcam.
Offering virtual care is one the ways NCEENT is doing its part to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Effective March 18,2020
In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, we are working to continue providing exceptional care and in doing so may need to reschedule some non-emergent or non-critical surgeries, procedures and appointments. If there are changes to your care, you will be contacted by your provider. We believe that taking this step now is in the best interest of all as we respond to the spread of COVID-19. Duke University Health System (DUHS) operational and medical leaders are working to determine if a reschedule is necessary based on many important factors, most important being the well-being of our patients. You can always find the latest information on DukeHealth.org.

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please visit an emergency room or call 911.

Keep Appointments
For many of our patients, it is important to keep your appointments especially if you have a chronic condition like diabetes, asthma and heart disease. Your doctor will contact you if your appointments can be done virtually through a telemedicine visit or by phone, otherwise, plan to come to the office. Make sure to call ahead if you are feeling ill. Our offices are taking special precautions to protect the health and safety of patients during this time. If you need medication refills or have a question for our office, please use MyChart to communicate with us directly or call the main office number.

Virtual Urgent Care
Duke Health also offers virtual urgent care through Duke Health Anywhere. Duke Health Anywhere is an online-only way to virtually connect with an on-call provider from any mobile device or computer with a webcam. You’ll pick from a team of providers for your care, and they can even send a prescription to your preferred pharmacy if needed.

Keeping our patients, visitors and team members safe is our top priority. We are grateful for your patience and understanding while we work diligently to address this rapidly evolving situation. We are committed to delivering the highest quality care as we move through this challenging time.