Doctors have started making house calls in Atlanta, the second major U.S. city to offer this service.
First, it was consulting a physician via the camera on your cellphone. Now, you can request your doctor visit you at your home. What seems like a thing of the past has become popular again.
House call doctors were common in the early 1900s and now, 100 years later, are making a resurgence. House call doctors are becoming increasingly popular as a result of busy patients and advances in technology.
Feeling under the weather? Need a prescription refill? Keep reading to learn more about house call doctors and why you should consider using this service.
Why House Call Doctors?
In recent years, major pharmacies have offered consultations with physicians via webcam. While this is certainly convenient, it also has some major drawbacks.
A physician cannot truly examine a patient without being physically with them. Even just checking the patient’s vital signs would be impossible.
This service is a step above consulting a doctor via online chatrooms. You also are less likely to develop a relationship with the doctor as you may not get the same doctor more than once.
This is also not a good option for those less inclined to use technology, such as the elderly, who often need more medical care. The elderly are also more likely to have difficulty physically getting to a physician’s office.
Save Time and Money
Visiting family physicians or rapid care clinics for easily treatable conditions is time-consuming and sometimes expensive. A house call doctor can save you time and money for easily treatable and common conditions.
Physician’s offices are notoriously busy and it may not be possible to get in when you need to be seen for an acute condition. Visiting a crowded doctor’s office may expose you to germs that could otherwise be avoided.
Redefining Urgent Care
Using doctor house calls to divert care from overcrowded emergency rooms and urgent care facilities reduces health costs and prioritizes care in those emergency departments for those who really need to be there.
Unnecessary trips to the emergency room costs insurance companies and subsequently patients a ton of money. House call doctors help reduce and eliminate those overhead costs.
Insurance companies are cracking down on patients who use emergency facilities for non-emergency services. Using a house call doctor is a good way to avoid any unexpected charges.
Convenience is Everything
We live in a world where everything is brought to us. From food to physicians, people are preferring to get things delivered to them.
People love convenience and good customer service. From the doctor’s point of view, making house calls allows them more freedom in their schedule.
Medical devices are being developed to be increasingly mobile so doctors can do most of what they normal do in an office in the patient’s home.
Consider Calling a House Call Doctor
Next time you are feeling under the weather, consider calling house call doctors.
They can work with your schedule and the standard of care is the same as if you were to visit their office. Avoid the hassle of urgent care facilities or long wait times in your doctor’s office and have him come to you.
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