COVID-19 Resource Center

Review the latest information on visitor policies, safety procedures, vaccines, and more in the COVID-19 Resource Center.

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Your Health Is Our Top Priority

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Visitor Policy

We have visitor policies in place to help keep our patients, staff and communities safe. We make changes to our policies based on the community spread of COVID-19 and other factors. Please check the visitor policy at your local hospital or outpatient clinic before coming to one of our locations.

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COVID-19 Screening

If you come to Northwestern Medicine for an inpatient surgery or procedure, your care team will order a COVID-19 test for you. You will have this test before the day of your appointment.

  • If you have symptoms of COVID-19 on the day of your appointment, please call your care team to cancel.
  • If you come to your appointment with symptoms, we will provide the care you need. If your symptoms are mild, we will ask you to return home.
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Masking Policy

With the exception of inpatients who are in their hospital rooms and children under age 2, everyone must wear a mask while in our facilities.

If you come to Northwestern Medicine for an outpatient appointment, you must keep your mask on at all times unless a care team member asks you to remove it.

  • Keep your mask on even when a care team member is not in the exam room with you.

If you cannot wear a mask due to a disability or medical condition, you can contact your physician’s office to schedule a telehealth visit instead. If this is not an option, talk to your physician about a reasonable accommodation.

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Extensive Cleaning and Hand Sanitizer

Keeping hands and surfaces clean helps reduce the chance of spreading germs.

Our Environmental Services teams continue to focus on detailed cleaning in our hospitals and physician offices. They pay close attention to surfaces that people touch often, such as doors and countertops.

We have hand sanitizer stations for your use throughout our facilities.

Contactless Communication

We have implemented two new procedures to reduce the number of people in our facilities and provide for contactless registration.

eCheck-In

patient accessing MyNM via a laptop
You can register for an upcoming appointment using eCheck-In through MyNM. eCheck-In lets you take care of several things before your appointment:

  • Review and update your personal demographics
  • Review and update your medical and insurance information
  • Pay your co-pay
  • Fill out paperwork your care team needs

This way, you do not have to touch certain surfaces when you come to your appointment.

If you have a scheduled visit and a MyNM account, we will contact you when it is time to complete the eCheck-In process. If you have any questions about the process, please see these tip sheets in English and Spanish.

Patient Messaging

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Your care team will contact you with any arrival and pickup instructions they would like you to follow. If you have a cell phone, they may send text messages with instructions.

  • They may send messages about when to come into the building.
  • They may also send messages to a companion to let them know you are ready to be picked up.
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COVID-19 Resource Center

Northwestern Medicine is a trusted source for accurate and up-to-date information regarding COVID-19. Learn how we're keeping our patients safe, where to get tested for COVID-19, what our current visitor policies are, and more.

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What You Need to Know About COVID-19

COVID-19 can be mild or severe, and it can affect anyone. Learn about COVID-19 symptoms, high-risk groups, the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive COVID-19 Center and more.

Telehealth Visits Available

For your convenience and safety, Northwestern Medicine offers scheduled appointments via a telehealth visit.

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How to Wear a Face Mask

Proper face mask usage is important to prevent the spread of illness. This includes proper techniques for wearing the mask, taking it on and off, and storing it.