House Calls Make A Comeback

Unless you were around in the 1950's you probably don't know that it was common to see a man carrying a small black bag knock on a neighbor's door. Who would it have been? Today you might think, insurance salesman, Amway salesman or even political office seeker. Would it surprise you to know that it was the family doctor?

There was a time when doctors would routinely visit patients at their homes. It seems like this convenience disappeared for good about 50 years ago as the baby boom was in full swing and physicians were swamped with patients.

There wouldn't be much to this story on house calls and medical services in the home if it were not for an organization known as Family Home Care and Hospice (FHCH) of Spokane, WA. A home health agency, FHCH serves patients in Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington State. The company has launched a new service offering primary medical care in patients' homes. The new service, aptly named "House Calls", will offer a wide range of primary care services including diagnosing medical conditions, check-ups, drawing blood, prescribing medications and monitoring of medications. House Calls patients may continue to receive their on-going and follow up care from the House Calls medical professional or their care can be coordinated with or referred back to their regular physician.

House Calls medical providers are Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNP). They have received special training and are licensed to provide medical services in the home. The House Calls staff at FHCH actually prefer to see a patient in a home setting instead of a hospital or clinic.

"We love this program because it allows us to spend more time with our patients," said Carol Charles, ARNP. "When we can get to know them more closely and see how they're living, we can many times recommend treatment options that will fit more closely with the patient's lifestyle. This is an advantage for the patient that isn't possible at a hospital or clinic."

House Calls is a perfect service for the home-bound or people for whom the task of getting to the doctor's office is just too daunting. But, House Calls is not limited to people who are immobile. The service can be used by anyone who prefers their primary care medical services to be delivered at home.

"We see mostly elderly patients," noted Alicia Bowman, FHCH's primary care coordinator, "as they tend to have the greatest need, but we also see a number of younger patients. There is no reason to feel like this is only something for the elderly."

Across the nation, services such as House Calls which provide needed primary medical care in the home are rare or non-existent. Without services such as House Calls, many elderly or less mobile patients will not seek medical attention and will allow their condition to worsen until emergency treatment is needed. Even in ideal circumstances, some bed-ridden patients will put off medical care long enough that their illness becomes much more advanced. The presence of a service like House Calls in a community is a foundational element in the health care of this segment of the population.

While the demand for this service in the Spokane area is strong, the rapid growth of the elderly population in the US means that, services like Family Home Care's House Calls will likely be needed in many areas of the country.

"Home health agencies already have the expertise and systems to offer these services in their areas," explained Michael Nowling, FHCH President. "If enough home health agencies take on this service all across the country, it will represent a significant benefit to our elderly patients and will take some of the pressure off of our emergency rooms and staff."

For more than 40 years Family Home Care and Hospice has been serving patients in the Inland Northwest. Recently they were recognized by Medicare as being among the top one percent of home health agencies in the State of Washington and among the top five percent of home health agencies in the country.

Article Source: http://www.articlemonk.com

Michael Nowling is the President of FHCH, a home health agency in the area, WA. The largest privately owned home health agency in the area, FHCH has been serving the inland Northwest for more than 40 years.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated