Do House Calls Save Money?

Published On: August 25th, 2009

Is it time to roll back the clock? House calls by primary care physicians may be a money saver in some cases, according to the Los Angeles Times.

One main benefit of this strategy, which we’ve written about before here and here, is that closely monitoring these patients can reduce expensive hospital admissions.

The LA Times details the experience of a team of docs in Richmond, Va., who visit about 275 patients — most with multiple medical conditions — once a month. Visits to these home-bound patients can turn up everything from a typical urinary tract infection to an emergency situation that requires an ambulance.

But even if it may save money in the long-run, the up-front costs are expensive: Medicare pays for about half the program’s $1 million price tag, and the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center picks up the remaining portion.

And, home visits don’t work very well for docs who aren’t affiliated with a medical system, because they don’t reap the benefits of savings from reduced hospitalizations. A proposal currently included in the House version of the health-reform bill would provide independent health care professionals a chance to share in Medicare savings from home visits, says the Times.

Image: iStockphoto

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Do House Calls Save Money?

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DenverGambler : Turning Back the Clock: Stardust http://t.co/cV9BNiuX (via @vegaschatter)

2012-02-08T22:40:18Z - Reply - View Tweet
WizardsNorman : @CouchPirateJake @mebesse15 ya now they want to roll back the clock to 1982, lets all play Ms Pacman again lol

2012-02-08T22:22:07Z - Reply - View Tweet
bestgrainmills : Can We Really Turn Back the Clock When It Comes to Our Food?: Did they really eat better in the past?� Would we ... http://t.co/M5Fv7boN

2012-02-08T22:13:43Z - Reply - View Tweet
oldham409 : @cliffyperkins you mean you'd turn back the clock and not have a 3 some with tommy and brendan lol

2012-02-08T21:50:50Z - Reply - View Tweet
jaredmillion : @AshleeTheShow Calling Obama for ya. We'll see if he can set back the clock a few hours for you.

2012-02-08T21:40:00Z - Reply - View Tweet
grindleton1974 : @kennethdalglish TWO wingers and a goal scorer if only we could turn back the clock john barnes Peter beardley and John Aldridge

2012-02-08T20:55:06Z - Reply - View Tweet
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2012-02-08T20:53:23Z - Reply - View Tweet

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