Doctors going back to house calls

If you're not a boomer, it's likely you've never seen a doctor in your home--after all, house calls have been out of vogue for quite some time--but of late, there are signs that this may change.

Recently, physicians have gradually started making house calls again, bolstered by sophisticated mobile technologies such as high-powered laptops and smart phones. This is happening, in part, thanks to a Medicare coverage shift that increased reimbursement for visits to the homebound, but lifestyle factors also seem to have played a part. What's more, medical devices are also smaller than in the past, allowing doctors to perform X-rays in a patient's home, draw blood and keep medicine cool. 

While business models for such services are still evolving, one approach resembles the emerging concierge care business, asking patients to pay a substantial upfront fee and per-visit charges.

To learn more about this trend:
- read this Associated Press article [1]

Related Articles:
Insurers not happy with concierge medicine [2]
Trend: Primary care doctors create own prepaid plans [3]