As a physician I have seen a huge upswing in the amount of flu cases this year. It helps that many people are getting the vaccine, but, even with that there are no guarantees. My staff, along with myself, make sure we are vaccinated right away in hopes of avoiding getting sick ourselves. When you think about it, we are exposed to the virus many times a day so it is very easy for us to get sick ourselves if we don’t take proper precautions. Rooms are sterilized after each patient, masks are provided to those checking in with symptoms, and hand sanitizer is used at every turn. What my patients are not aware of is the fact that we take extra precautions that they don’t see. Twice, during each flu season, I have a professional HVAC cleaning service come in to completely clean and disinfect the ductwork in my building. I also have several room purification units set up in the exam and waiting areas to help eliminate any germs or bacteria that a patient might bring in. So long as these practices are kept up with we can assure our clients that they are safe in coming to the doctors office and have very little risk of contracting any illnesses that they may not already have. This is also done to protect me and my staff from getting the same things. I can’t afford to have my medical staff calling in sick or spreading germs either. The extra money spent to maintain the cleanliness of my practice is well worth it. I would never consider not paying professionals to keep my place clean and safe.