There is a small but growing group of doctors, nurses, physician/nurse practitioners who are making house calls, something that literally disappeared back in the 1980’s.
Medicare changes now make house calls easily billable, and such visits have the potential for reducing health-care costs and enhancing quality of care for the elderly.
I recall very well our family doctor, Dr. Pass, coming with his black case to attend to my grandfather back in the 1950s. To me, he just seemed like another member of the family. It’s an interesting fact that in 1930, 40% of all doctor visits were house calls. By 1980, home visits made up just 1% of doctor visits.
Why? New diagnostic tools, treatments and technology became available in hospitals and clinics. More and more doctors chose specialized fields. And, those who stayed in primary care could see twice as many patients in their office versus home calls.
Technology is once again a change factor, this time aiding the trend back to house calls. Doctors carry their laptops (with electronic medical records), portable EKG machines, point-of-care testing (of blood, urine).
Washington Hospital Center’s medical house call program is an example of this new trend. They serve the “home limited elderly”, those who don’t get to see a doctor because getting out is so difficult. House calls have been shown to keep people in their homes longer, reduce ER visits, and mortality. This service includes 600 patients in the DC area; the doctors call it “the largest nursing home without walls in the District”. It is a 24/7 service.
One of its key doctors, Dr. George Taler, argues for what he calls “slow medicine: an unhurried encounter in the patient’s known and non-threatening environment…home”.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/23/AR2009032301745.html
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I think this is a wonderful service that is making a come back, especially for senior adults who are unable to drive to see a doctor.
Here are a couple sites about a company that provides House Calls in the Austin and Houston metro areas:
http://www.elderoptionsoftexas.com/profile_house_call_doctors_texas.htm
http://www.elderoptionsoftexas.com/profile_house_call_doctors_houston.htm
Cheryl,
Thank you for sharing these links. I think another big plus is the physician gets to see the person in their home environment, and can get a better sense all the factors impacting their health and well-being.
Here’s another link that now serves our area:
http://www.visitingphysicians.com/
My father, Jerry Colling, who is a still-very-healthy Senior, is a retired family doctor. He made house calls when I was young (that was 50 years ago) and did so for many years. I am proud of him and for the excellent reputation that he still holds in our community.
In our own non-medical home care business, we often find ourselves taking care of Seniors who many years ago were patients of his, and many of them comment on how he used to make house calls to their homes. Times have changed, but the emergence of new “mobile doc” services has been a big help to our elderly clients and their families.
- Tim