Has anyone ever considered use of Homecare to support appropriate patients until they can be seen by their physician?

Lancasterny, house calls are a thing of the past, it was done back when all the doctor needed to carry was a small black bag.... now with today's technology, there is so much a doctor would need to carry to help him/her decide what is the medical issue with a patient. Example, if a patient has congestion in their chest, a chest x-ray could be needed but the doctor doesn't have one to use, or a EKG to check heart rate.

Now a days I have noticed there is something like "doctor on-call" where one can use their Smart phone to talk to a doctor [but not everyone has a Smart phone].... it's probably a subscription service.

You are right, it's not cost effective to do house calls, unless the doctor charges for travel time to and from the house. And the time away from the office means 2 to 4 patients who had scheduled appointments would need to be rescheduled.

Great article. Bottom line I would opt for a rprompt care 99% of time, even with a broken bone. As a therapist who works in rehab, I cannot tell you of the thousands of horror stories I hear from families about misdiagnosis as well as uncaring staff, long wait times. I find it interesting that Indiana has a 17 min average. I live in Indiana and I just have a hard time believing this one, given what I hear all the time. Maybe there are some outlyers that statically scewed the results. Most ER staff are not hospital staff.....they are contractors and are there to get folks in/out and have very little bedside manner or ability to think holistically, even if the situation warrants it.

I have gone one step further.... my Dad's primary doctor is part of an Urgent Care facility. Any time Dad needed to see the doctor, I would call for an appointment and if the appointment is too far out and it is something that Dad doesn't want to wait on, the front desk will tell me to just walk in as an urgent care patient.

Only time we used the ER is if we needed to call 911 due to a fall or unusual sickness. Of course, even in the ER the wait time can be according to the seriousness of the medical condition.

Thank you so much for the hugs and words of wisdom. It is just so painful to get my mother out of the house and so unnecessary if the doctor would just call in RX that doesn't kill her. With more and more elderly staying in their homes you would think having house calls would be available... must not be enough profit for doctors.

Your right about the primary care doctor..can't see in ER or even if admitted to hospital there is a hospitalist doctor who oversees your care. This has happened where they observe & send your loved one home or observe & transfer to floor in hospital. You still don't get to see your regular Primary doctor. The fire dept. as well as the EMT unit comes out..they intimidate you by asking over & over what you want to do...take loved one to ER????We've also found that if you just want to be checked out in the ER & their not too bad...have the Fire dept & EMTs put them in our vehicle & go to drive thru at ER but still you may have to wait. Plus all the paperwork that has to be filled out before you can even get back to the room where your loved one is. Be sure you have all these papers ready & available at a moments notice. Ambulance is around $800 to $1000 (less your deductible depending on your insurance) plus if you are transported back via ambulance it is about half that cost plus the city bills you for some service for other entities that show up. It is months before all these bills come in. My Dad passed in April, 2015 & it is Feb, 2016 & still receiving bills for him. Once again a decision about whether to move my Mom from AL to her home. I will run into primary care doctor?, ER?. In AL they wear a necklace that can be pushed & someone from the AL comes & checks before 911 is actually called. If they hit their head, you have to go to the ER. Now, I have a company where a NPractioner will make house calls to the AL for illness but it all is a hassle. Paperwork, multiple phone calls always staying on top of all these service folks as well as your loved one. In most cases the loved one does not understand. My Mom has been out of it for almost a year & has just started realizing what is going on but I see so many with dementia that don't understand & are expected to take care of themselves to some extent. Very sad. Some family members don't even show up when they are sick or have to go to the hospital. Good Luck.

Excellent article on this topic! Although I would have to quibble with ProPublica. Whether traditional hospital or HMO, I think only once have we gotten in to be seen in only half hour or so. Generally 1-2 hours to get seen, and once in, another 1-2 hours for our experiences. I'm just glad our states (mine and other family members) aren't on the longest wait times. :)

My mother is 93 years old and housebound. She has had upper respiratory tract infection for a few days and called her primary (does not see her unless she goes to hospital but refills meds monthly). Doctor called pharmacy with RX, however, pharmacy said it would interact with current meds so they would not dispense. Pharmacy called doctor with 3 alternatives but doctor did not respond to pharmacy and the office is closed today. How can we find a doctor that will make house calls for my mother....She lives in 14094 zip code? At her age this could be fatal.