Have you ever heard your parents or grandparents talk about how their doctors used to make house calls? Sounds crazy, right? Well, those doctors home visits are back and better than ever.
Lately, more and more people are looking to house call doctors for medical care, but are you curious why? Check out why this old medical practice is making a comeback.
Convenient for Patients
For starters, doctor house calls can be super convenient for patients. Some patients, especially those in wheelchairs, may be better served if their doctor could come to them.
Home visits from physicians can be a great and convenient option for those patients with high anxiety or “white coat syndrome”. There is also the issue of patients with low immune systems. When you can stay at home and have the doctor come to you, you don’t have to sit in a waiting room full of other sick patients.
Not only can these home visits be convenient for patients, but it helps family members who would normally have to take patients to the doctor. Those family members won’t have to rearrange their personal schedules for office visits.
More Quality Time with Doctor
The average time that a doctor spends with a patient in the medical office is 15 minutes. Whereas, at home, the average time is 45 minutes to an hour. That’s a huge difference.
When you need urgent care, it’s great to know that your doctor will spend more time with you to focus on your health. This gives you ample time to discuss your questions and concerns with the doctor and not have to feel like you are on a time constraint.
Save Money
Doctors who make home visits can save patients and their loved ones money. Some patients may not have a reliable form of transportation. These patients may need to call an Uber to get to their physician.
Some may even just decide to call an ambulance for non-emergency situations to take them to the local emergency room. Many of these situations can be handled better by a home visit from a physician.
Medicare saves money too from billing a physician house call. Elderly don’t often get the routine medical care they need for various reasons. Doctor house calls give these patients the care they deserve and need. By addressing health issues and improving the patient’s health and quality of life, they can be kept out of hospitals.
Patients’ loved ones can also save money because they don’t have to take time off from work to drive patients to the doctor’s office.
House Call Doctors Are Making a Comeback
It’s not difficult to see how house call doctors are making a comeback. While receiving a doctor house call isn’t for every situation, it can be a huge benefit for some.
Want tips on living a healthier life to hopefully limit your need for medical care? Check out our health and wellness blog for all the latest health-related stories for curious humans like you.
