New technologies have taken over the world. The healthcare providers are trying to keep up and to make healthcare accessible and convenient for every citizen of the country. With the help of the smartphone application, patients can order doctor’s house call and be assisted in case of need. Some century ago, the face to face treatment was a rule for doctors and patients, however, cities got much bigger and it became more convenient to change this way of treatment. Taking into account all the peculiarities, the system of clinics has been established. Doctors became more comfortable seeing the patient in own cabinet. Such system allows to serve many patients within a day, while personal house call can take a doctor few hours to get to the patient, examine one’s state, prescribe remedies and go to another patient.
Nonetheless, the system of house calls has its advantages as well. Some of them are as follows: doctors can spend some extra time with patient, it is more convenient for the patient, it makes the healthcare services more accessible for the majority of the citizens, such system is better for people with disabilities, seniors and the chronically ill, moreover, doctors get a flat fee (Karlamangla, 2016).
The drawbacks of this system are: it takes much time to get from one part of the city to another, it is more expensive for the patients, there is a limited amount of physicians, thus not all people can be served, not all the areas are accessible to doctors, for example, some remote parts of the country, doctors do not have enough time to get acquainted with the patient’s story of the disease (Karlamangla, 2016).
Overall, the house call used to be one of the privileges of wealthy, so called concierge medicine (Karlamangla, 2016). Nonetheless, the base price of the hospital treatment remains unrevealed. For example, hospital personnel is not eager to share the information regarding the price of the services, while house calls vary from $50 to $200 for the Mend and Pager (healthcare providers via applications) (Karlamangla, 2016).
Some providers of the house call went further and invented the application that allows the patient to chat with the nurse, explain the symptoms of illness and indisposition. According to this data the nurse might suggest to order a house call or to conduct an online conversation. Online talks can help in examining the overall state of the person. Such innovative approach helps to define whether the patient really needs to request a house call or the issue can be resolved by the means of online conversation. Furthermore, it createы advantages for the healthcare providers and doctors as well. Patients are examined beforehand and given the needed care before they decide to go to the doctor or order a house call. The new system allows to filter complicated cases from simple ones and to lower the workload and pressure on doctors. Moreover, conversations help the doctor to find out about the overall state of the person, symptoms from the nurse directly, before going to the patient.
A new upgraded system of healthcare makes it easier and more accessible, however, it also requires more doctors and nurses to provide such services. For sure, having strict deadlines and the scheduled timetable allows the doctor to serve more patients throughout the day than the visiting all patients personally. In this regard, new approaches to the healthcare require more money and efforts in order to establish them.
Moreover, there is a possible risk, examining a patient through the mobile application or online call. The issue is that a nurse might not have enough competence and education in order to define the best suitable option for the patient. For many people it is more valuable to visit the doctor and get in touch face to face in to ensure that there is nothing to be afraid of.
The problem of the newly invented system of house calls is also the limited amount of physicians. According to the statistics, there should be 90, 000 doctor shortfall nationwide by 2025 (Karlamangla, 2016). Despite this fact the services of house call seem to be developing fast as personal visits make the process more intimate, patients can easily share own doubts, concerns and get the issue resolved. On the other hand, doctors can be more relaxed visiting patients rather that serving them at the clinic, get a flat fee, and communicate with patients without a rush. This tendency raises the question whether the house call can really make the difference and per what cost? The thing is that insurance can cover the house call for more than a half of the total price and the rest of the payment can be made afterwards. It is also convenient for the patients as they can find out the amount of the payment before the visit.
Another aspect of the issue is that house calls can serve the needs of people with simple illnesses or prevent the occurrence of the complicated cases. It means that doctors can examine the patient and prescribe the treatment, however, if a person needs a deep examination with the help of the new technological devices, the visit to a hospital is needed.
The overall state of the society nowadays requires the involvement of innovations in all the spheres of people’s life, particularly into the sphere of the healthcare. Online chats, video conversations, home calls can make the difference and bring the healthcare services to the new upgraded level. Ordering doctor’s services with the help of the mobile application is convenient and easy, that is why it is predictable that this field will be developed, get more supporters and users throughout the country. The higher need in healthcare professionals in order to provide the first class service will lead to lack of physicians, along with the increase of their incomes. The start – up offering house calls have a great future as each patient needs extra care, personal approach and the possibility to address one’s pains and needs. In this regard, the field of online house calls should be developing fast, acquire new supporters and followers. Nonetheless, there is no need to underestimate the traditional clinical value. Despite the fact that house calls are really easy and convenient, they cannot replace the traditional medicine so far due to the fact that doctors cannot complete complicated medical procedures without the hospital equipment. The future of house call services also requires the upgraded system that allows to determine if the patient really needs to see a doctor or the issue can be resolved right away. Addressing the base needs of patients and establishing the ground for the healthcare services at home, house calls can make the difference and reformat the traditional way of treatment in the 21st century.
References
Karlamangla, S. (2016) The return of doctor house calls: Convenient, but at what cost? Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from: http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-me-doctor-house-calls-20160320-story.html
