Case and UHC researchers find house calls on the rise
December 1, 2005
| For more information: George Stamatis 216-368-3635
An analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association reports that house calls to Medicare beneficiaries have increased
by over 40 percent from 1998 to 2004 and that total charges for house calls
more than doubled over this same time period. More than 2 million house calls
were charged to Medicare in 2004.
Though the reasons for this increase are not part of the analysis, the authors
believe that changes in Medicare payment of physicians for house calls and
advances in portable medical devices and information technology are fueling
this trend. Steven Landers, M.D., from the Department of Family Medicine at
Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals of Cleveland, the
lead author of the analysis, explains, “This growth reverses a trend
reported in the 1990s that house calls were ‘vanishing.’ House
calls may become an important part of how the health care system addresses
the needs of an aging population.”
Landers, a 2003 graduate of the Case School of Medicine, recently finished
his training in family medicine and now directs the new House Call Program
within the Department of Family Medicine. This program provides ongoing in
home medical care to patients from predominately low income neighborhoods
in Cleveland.
He said, “When I started medical school I thought that house calls
were a thing of the past, but now house calls are the focal point of my practice…most
of my patients are elderly and disabled and they struggle to get into traditional
medical offices, I bring the office to them. And, by visiting their homes
I learn a lot more about their condition and family, this leads to better
care.”
The analysis showed that most of the growth in House Calls has come from
primary care physicians and nurse practitioners. In line with these national
trends, the Case/University Hospitals of Cleveland House Call Program has
both physicians and nurse practitioners.
Other authors on the study Paul W. Gunn, Susan A. Flocke, Ph.D., Antonnette
V. Graham, Ph.D., George E. Kikano, M.D., Shirley M. Moore, R.N., Ph.D., and
Kurt C. Stange, M.D., Ph.D.
About Case Western Reserve University
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826
and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western
Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research,
service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally
recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering,
Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.
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