There’s no place like home

The New York Times, July 1, 2010

House calls aren’t a new idea, of course. Johns Hopkins has been sending attending physicians and residents out to see frail, elderly patients in their homes for 30 years. But the number of house calls has grown since Medicare agreed to raise reimbursement rates for them about a decade ago. The American Academy of Home Care Physicians estimates that about 4,000 doctors — from solo practitioners and university programs to a company that makes 10,000 visits a year in five states — now provide care at home.