Doctors' house calls for frailest patients save cash, study finds

Ten or 12 times a year, Beatrice Adams' daughter would race her frail mother to the emergency room for high blood pressure or pain. Then Adams found a doctor who makes house calls. Now, the 89-year-old hasn't needed ER care in nearly two years. The old-fashioned house call is making a comeback as part of an effort to improve care for some of Medicare's most frail and expensive patients. While it might sound like a luxury, bringing team-based primary care into the homes of patients such as Adams, according to a study, actually could save Medicare money by keeping them from needing pricier specialty or hospital care.