Preparing for Your Office Visit
Our Safe Care Commitment is in effect across our health system to provide the safest possible setting for patients, visitors, and staff.
If you have an in-person office appointment coming up, please review the information below regarding our mask and visitor policies, as well as information on what to expect and do before and the day of your appointment.
Outpatient appointments include primary care, pediatrics or specialists, urgent care, physical therapy, and other providers who see patients in a clinic. It also includes getting your blood drawn, getting an imaging test (such as an X-ray, CT scan, or MRI), or receiving a scheduled COVID-19 vaccine.
Before your appointment
Appointment reminders
If you have an upcoming scheduled appointment, you may receive a phone call, text message, and/or a message from our patient portal, Mass General Brigham Patient Gateway, three or four days before your appointment to confirm.
Learn more about Patient Gateway
If you are not already enrolled, you can sign up for Patient Gateway.
Visitor policy
Visitors are not allowed in outpatient clinical care areas. Exceptions are made for support persons in very limited situations. Any support person must be approved before the visit. Please call the clinic before your visit to get approval.
eCheck-in
You can save time the day of your visit by updating important information through Patient Gateway’s convenient eCheck-in. You can review your insurance information, fill out questionnaires related to your visit, and take care of co-pays online. Please complete eCheck-in up to three days before your appointment.
Learn more about Patient Gateway and eCheck-in
If you are not already enrolled, you can sign up for Patient Gateway.
COVID-19 Screening
As part of our Safe Care Commitment, you will be screened for COVID-19 multiple times, including two or three days before your appointment. You may be asked to fill out an online questionnaire in Patient Gateway’s eCheck-in or the clinical practice may call you.
If you have an approved support person to accompany you, they will also be screened for COVID-19.
Day of appointment
COVID-19 Screening
As part of our Safe Care Commitment, you will be screened for COVID-19 multiple times, including the day of your appointment. This may be done online through the Mass General Brigham Prescreen tool , by phone, or in person when you arrive.
If you have an approved support person, they will also be screened for COVID-19.
Read more about the screening process
Mask policy
When you arrive to a Mass General Brigham clinical setting, we will give you a new procedural or surgical mask to wear. If you have a mask from home, you will be asked to replace your mask with the one we provide. This mask must be worn during your appointment as part of our commitment to safe care. We appreciate your cooperation.
Read the mask policy
Changes to our 'waiting room'
To ensure social distancing, many of our clinical practices may ask you to wait in your car or a nearby location until they are ready to see you in the clinic. Practices using this "remote waiting room" process will call and/or text you when you can come into the clinic.
On the day of your appointment, please let the front desk staff know when you arrive, even if you have completed the eCheck-In steps.
