Like I've said, I am not big on technology although it is good for when you need a plane ticket. Or to come on here. Technology is advancing and I use fringe medical. (I went to what I affectionately call MRI's R Us--a private company south of here that does mri's without the expense of being associated with a hospital as it cost less than my deductible.(long story) I may sign up with a concierge doctor near here, who does not take insurance. Just cuz.) I think if I were housebound, I would be appreciative of on-line medical although I am not on any meds. I think the young people need to be educated in today's technology use to apply for jobs, use at work, get around. They definitely don't have to be plugged in all the time. But I know I waste time on line, too, that I should not.
I'm not totally against technology, or I wouldn't be on here...and a few other forums and have been since 2005 when I joined t his world in a small but significant way. Talking to the coordinator today of the program, and the one guiding me on it all, she said MANY older people are not online in any way and I believe that. My neighbor who just died recently at 96 was never on any computer and called me a lot to look things up for her, she could have been just fine on one minimally about like me or maybe less... I know a lot of older folks as I met many during my bridge club world, and a lot of them had a desk type and have given up all types.....a lot have cell phones, she had no cell phone either and she really needed one in all the times she was out trying to get here and there.... It's a big world and MORE have no computers than have them....
My son, thirteen years younger than me, does not use a computer. Although he does have a smartphone, like me, he uses it only to make and receive calls or to text. He had early access to a computer because I had one of the few computers around while he was with me in the early 1980s, and he had an Atari console in the 1970s. It's not that he couldn't afford a computer. He had a pretty good job. He just wasn't interested. I relate that to the fact that he wasn't interested in learning to drive when he turned sixteen. I offered to pay for driver's training for him but we were in Southern California then, and he said the buses were fine. He didn't get a driver's license until he was in his twenties when he needed one for work.
Since we just changed our insurance company for this upcoming year, I have been researching the company, and it appears that they do house calls as part of their plan benefits, when the person needs a doctor and a house call works best for the patient. We have had yearly visits from our Humana doctors , but it was pretty much just a general checkup/wellness kind of visit, and not for any specific reason. I think that offering telehealth visits and home-care visits from doctors will be an important thing as our senior population keeps getting older and less able to travel for doctor visits.
Most of you probably remember that house calls were once routine throughout the U.S., but once the government got involved in medical care, that seemed to cease. I was sad to see it go, but with doctors so reliant now on scans and complex lab tests, home care is difficult, especially with regard to legal complications. That was an America that will probably never be again.
I don't see how doctors would have time to make housecalls. I was reading an article yesterday about how much of a doctor's time is consumed with answering emails nowadays. So much so, that they are beginning to charge patients for time spent on emailing.
Our doctor lived in our neighborhood when I was a kid. His office was in his house. Dr. Shannon. Regarding visiting doctors...the few forums I found with folks who had this supra pubic catheter were MS patients in England. They all spoke of their monthly cath swaps being done at home by the visiting nurse.
Home care nurses are fairly widespread in the U.S., but house calls by physicians are rare as far as I know. The service mentioned by @Joy Martin is one of the few I have heard about other than annual physicals. There was a big push in the 1970s to establish widespread Family Practice residencies, but the government soon stepped in and the reimbursement paid made the practices impossible, especially for individual physicians. There are still a few around and they are trying to make a comeback, but I don't hold out much hope. Reimbursement for most of the specialties still seems to be okay, but Medicare is making it very difficult for any doctor to maintain an individual practice, which was one of the aims of the so-called Affordable Care Act.
Same here. On the BC forum, many women have home care nurses after surgery or for Stage IV treatments. I think if a person's insurance will pay then home care nurses are dispatched.
I still don't like wellness check ups from our network with no symptoms. I don't want them in my house. If I need to get some healthcare done, I will go and get it. I will wait till I have a problem with this and then think about it. They used to send us letters to try to set things up. Last time they called and I told them don't call us, we'll call you. If they are so eager to do this, They should still want to come.
I am definitely much more in favor of taking care of our health than having to have to deal with a health issue because we didn’t find out it was happening. I don’t think that they actually do anything really important with the little home health visits, but that is because i am basically healthy and do not have outstanding health issues that a wellness checkup is apt to make a difference with. I like it when the insurance company is pro-active for health, like the OTC allowance that we use to get a lot of our vitamins, and also rewards for exercising, like the gift cards they give out for that and for the health checkups like bone density tests and such. We have changed our insurance company to Devoted, and they even offer a free alert (several different styles, in fact) and the monthly charge for having one; so for people who do not have a tracker like Bobby and I have with our Apple Watch, this is something that could save lives.
I just had an intake with the Community Health Worker for the company, Welcome Health. The first doctor appt will be Dec 7 with Dr. Deena Goldwater. There can be 1 or 2 house visits or more if needed in the year. It's all paid by Medicare. Goldwater is a cardio/geriatric MD. I'm feeling OK with this program and we'll see how it goes. Scan is involved in the group from it's roots..... .
Well, just had my first appt with the house call dr. Deena Goldwater, MD and it was a hour long and I liked her. So far they are legit and will do all appts in my apt. Talking about 2 months for the next one, she wants labs as she likes to have them for my file. I undertand that and again blootests done at my home. Interesting group and what I need at this time in my .life. Will even arramge for eye doc to get my glasses changed. I'm using a script that is very old. Talk about times in our lives, I was thinking last night... I was born at home in 1938 and may expire at home (?????)
That is wonderful, @Joy Martin , and I am so happy that this insurance program is working for you ! I believe that more of the medicare programs are looking at either more home visits or tele-health visits where you can talk online or on the phone with a doctor when it is not an issue where you need to be seen by the doctor for help. Since many older seniors are not driving anymore, or are too disabled to travel to the doctor’s office, having a home visit seems like the best way to do it. Our Humana plan sends out a visiting doctor once a year and offers tele-health calls, but I think that they might be doing more of that in the future as well. We just changed over from Humana to Devoted Health, and they have people that you can call and ask questions any time you need help, plus they have special programs for people with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure, and things like that, and work with you one-on-one to help a person stay as healthy as possible.
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