Doctors And Home Visits: Not Just From The Days Of Yore
Two news outlets explore how some doctors are providing care to patients at home, and a third story looks at a program in Chicago geared to helping patients and doctors talk more clearly about health issues.
NPR:
Doctor Treats Homebound Patients, Often Unseen Even By Neighbors
Dr. Roberta Miller hits the road at 8 a.m. to see her patients. Many are too old or sick to go to the doctor. So the doctor comes to them. ... Although Miller's practice may harken back to the country doctor of decades past, it could be the future of medicine. In 2013, about 2.6 million Medicare claims were filed for patient home visits and house calls. That's up from 2.3 million visits in 2009 and 1.4 million visits in 1999, according to Medicare statistics. The trend is expected to accelerate as baby boomers grow older. One in 20 people over the age of 65 is homebound in the U.S., according to a study published in July in JAMA Internal Medicine. (Friedman, 11/8)
Los Angeles Times:
Blast From The Past: Doctor House Calls. An App, Heal, Facilitates Them.
Within five weeks, [Dr. Rene] Dua's entrepreneur husband had developed an Uber-like app that would allow a doctor to be sent to someone's home or office at an hour's notice. The service — Heal — launched in February and thus far has raised $6.5 million from investors who include Qualcomm Executive Chairman Paul Jacobs, United Talent Agency Managing Director Jay Sures and entertainer Lionel Richie. It has a network of 100 doctors in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Francisco and Silicon Valley who offer house calls at a flat rate of $99 per patient. (Daswani, 11/7)
The Associated Press:
Patients' Needs Addressed In ‘Person-Centered Health Care’
Every time JoAnna James took her husband, Lawrence, to the doctor, she left the hospital without understanding what was wrong with him. ... Frustrated, the couple signed up two years ago for an experimental program at the University of Chicago Medicine. The James’ new primary care doctor explained Lawrence’s prostate cancer diagnosis and every procedure that followed until they understood each of them. “She speaks your language,” JoAnna James said. The Comprehensive Care Program, funded with a $6.1 million federal grant, is an example of a new model of care aimed at changing the culture of America’s health care system to one where doctors treat people rather than symptoms. (Cacino, 11/9)
