Flu season is upon us. With busy schedules, unpredictable weather, and all of the germs being passed around this time of year, doctors’ offices are often overwhelmed. But for patients dealing with flu and other urgent medical problems, there’s a better way. It’s time to bring back the house call with a partnership that boosts patient satisfaction without taking away from your office time.
Manage the Schedule
Let’s face it, primary care physicians (PCPs) are busy. And this time of year is a perfect storm of seasonal health problems. Weather-related injuries, cold and flu season, cooking accidents, and decorating disasters can all contribute to a packed waiting room.
Patients are busy too. There’s so much to be done and so little time to do it. Between all the travel, shopping, holiday parties, and family fun, most people are more than a little overscheduled this time of year. They may not be able to make it into their regular doctor’s office during normal working hours.
The next time a patient calls saying the whole family is running a fever, wouldn’t it be great to tell them to stay home and still provide the best care? When you’re on call after hours and a patient needs a rapid infectious disease test, don’t add them to your already packed schedule for tomorrow.
With a house call service like DispatchHealth, you can send medical care to them without interrupting your busy schedule or theirs! DispatchHealth brings on-demand and high quality acute services to your patient’s home, which in turn helps to improve access to care, deliver a better patient experience and prevent unnecessary emergency room visits. Our teams are available seven days a week, including holidays. We can help out after hours, on weekends, holidays, or anytime your schedule is looking full. And we’ll keep you updated with detailed clinical notes so you’ll know exactly what is happening with your patients.
Keep Costs Low
DispatchHealth partners with leading insurance companies in addition to Medicare and Medicaid to provide high-quality and affordable care within a patient’s home. Significantly less expensive than an emergency room visit, the cost of care varies and is determined by the patient’s specific insurance plan. Following the in-home visit, DispatchHealth will bill the patient’s insurance directly and the out-of-pocket cost is comparable to the cost of an urgent care visit.
Keep the Germs Away
The last thing a patient coming in for their annual physical wants is to sit beside someone who is sniffling and sneezing. And no matter how many times your staff disinfects the waiting room, germs can still be transmitted in the air as people cough, breathe, and talk.
During flu season, just breathing the air within 6 feet of an infected person is enough to make a person sick. That means one flu patient can contaminate a whole crowd as they wait to see the doctor. And for very young, very old, or immune-compromised patients waiting to see you, that can be a deadly problem.
Why not keep those germs far away with house calls for patients who may be contagious? DispatchHealth treats nearly everything an emergency room can. With our partnership, you can provide your patients with the kind of care they’ve come to expect, without contaminating your whole office. Our clinical team arrives on-site equipped with medical kits containing tools and technologies that allow them to perform a variety of advanced tests and treatments ranging from on-scene laboratory testing, a 12-lead EKG, IV fluids and more. We also carry a pharmacy with oral and IV medications that can be administered on-scene. And the patient won’t have to leave the comfort of home.
A House Call Partner for Flu Season
During flu season, we like to refer to our emergency care providers as the “
Traveling Flu Crew”. They can administer a rapid flu test, diagnose the patient and if necessary, provide IV fluids and prescribe medication.
There are no waiting rooms, no need to brave the elements or navigate traffic while sick, and no overburdening the ER. Instead, your patients get compassionate, convenient care from our medical teams. And it’s all handled on their own schedule and in the comfort of home. To ensure continuity of care, DispatchHealth provides a detailed report to each member’s primary care physician and other pertinent care team members. Patients will always be directed back to their primary care provider for follow up.
If your practice could use a house call service this flu season or any other time of year, we’re ready to help. Email our team at partners@dispatchhealth.com so we can answer your questions and discuss our house call solution.
