Back in the good old days, doctors visiting the home of their patients and making house calls was as commonplace as having central air conditioning. Doctors would come directly to their patients’ homes and provide real-time care. They knew family members’ names and their hobbies and could even typically remember their health history without looking it up in a database or some proprietary software. The doctor-patient relationship was ironclad, and doctors weren’t held back by insurance regulations or legal liabilities.

Why did house calls stop? Why has healthcare become so transactional, with doctors’ proverbial hands bound by so much red tape?

You are viewing: When Did Doctors Stop Making House Calls

What Happened to House Calls?

Read more : What Does It Mean When A Ladybug Bites You

House calls faced their untimely end during the ’60s, along with peace signs, polka-dotted clothing, and casual use of the word “groovy.” Questions linger as to why they are no longer a common practice, but some reasons may include the following:

• Economic efficiency. Cost is always a metric when it comes to improving care. Justifying the time and cost required of doctors to drive to each patient’s home and attend lengthy visits became arguably less efficient than having patients attend offices. Ironically, these visits at the doctor’s office are dubbed “in-house” visits.
• Health insurance reform. Bureaucratic guidelines and regulations continue to limit out-of-the-box thinking and innovation in healthcare delivery today, becoming barriers to doctors providing intimate in-home care. Such guidelines are at the root of the traditional fee-for-service model many practices follow today.
• Fear of lawsuits. There may be a method to the madness when it comes to the dreaded transactional exchanges with doctors.There’s a high probability that physicians act in such a way to avoid being sued. After all, medical malpractice has become widespread. In fact, by the time they turn 65, three out of every four physicians have been named in a malpractice claim, according to The New England Journal of Medicine. Paradoxically, decades of research have shown that how physicians communicate with patients and make them feel significantly impacts whether or not doctors face malpractice lawsuits.
• Advancement in technological diagnostic machinery. With the waning of the house call came an emergence of scientific and medical breakthroughs, especially through diagnostic machinery. X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, and other equipment now require that patients travel to various medical providers rather than be seen in their homes.

Benefits of House Calls and At-Home Care

More and more healthcare organizations recognize the value of providing care at patients’ homes, with house calls making a bit of a comeback. Because house calls do yield a myriad of benefits and bring an aspect of humanity back to healthcare, exploring ways to improve the quality of care can be beneficial for patient satisfaction and health outcomes in the community. Some benefits of house calls include:

• Access to care for patients who lack access to transportation or are otherwise affected by healthcare disparities
• Providing care in a safe environment without exposing vulnerable or at-risk patients to disease
• Providing care to patients with mobility or vision problems that make traveling dangerous
• Treating patients in an environment that is safe and comfortable for them
• Improving trust and building a more meaningful patient-doctor relationship

Dr. George Mansour, from SafeTransitions MD, implemented a hospital-at-home model during peak COVID when hospital beds were scarce, and the virus was adversely affecting the elderly population. Dr. Mansour reflects on the initial stages of implementation.

Read more : When To See Whales In Hawaii

“For a few months, we calculated all the risks of getting into an inpatient modality at home. We had inclusion and exclusion criteria [to ensure] we didn’t miss anything. We had a lot of pillars to [uphold and prioritize] safety. We took care of 100+ patients with great success, [saw a] reduction in [hospital] readmission and length of stay, and 100% satisfaction from patients, families, and primary care physicians. It was a great move,” he says.

At ChenMed, value-based care continues to enable our physicians to build impactful relationships with and treat patients holistically. This means meeting patients where they are—both in proximity to their health journey as well as their residence if that is where they feel safest and most supported.

Listen to the full episode of Faisel & Friends with Dr. George Mansour from SafeTransitions MD! Our conversation explores the intricacies of being a hospitalist, rediscovering the goal of quality care delivery and hospital-at-home. Subscribe now to receive the latest episodes!

Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHEN