Lumina Hospice & Palliative Care today announced the launch of Housecalls, a new home-based service that provides an accessible way for patients to receive primary care when it is nearly impossible or unsafe to leave their home for routine medical care.
“As the population ages, growing numbers of individuals have health conditions which lead them to rely on others for care,” said Helen Kao, M.D., Medical Director of Clinical Innovations at Lumina. “As a person’s health and function changes, so must the care they receive change, too. Home-based primary care programs have been shown to significantly reduce a homebound patient’s need for emergency care and hospitalizations, while also improving patient and caregiver satisfaction with care.”
Dr. Kao, the primary care physician for Housecalls, has over 15 years of home-based care experience and is board certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Hospice & Palliative Care. Throughout her career she has focused her research, teaching, and clinical practice on working with vulnerable older adults and building programs to improve access to care for this population.
Housecalls physician visits, tests, medications, vaccinations, and other routine treatments are covered by insurance, as would be when visiting a doctor’s office. A monthly subscription fee helps support the service which would not be sustainable through insurance reimbursements alone. Patients receiving Medicaid are exempted from the monthly fee. Housecalls is currently available to patients in Adair, Corvallis, North Albany, and Philomath.
“We are excited to be able to add Housecalls to the offerings that we provide to our community,” said Amy Baird, Executive Director at Lumina. “We invite potential patients and their caregivers to consider how Housecalls can provide benefit to their care plan. Our team is prepared to answer questions and help patients get started at our kickoff event next month.”
A kickoff event will be held on Tuesday, March 12th for future patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, those interested in the evolution of healthcare delivery, and supporters of Lumina. The event will be held at Lumina (720 SW 4th Street) in Corvallis and will begin with a 5:30 p.m. open house and a presentation by Dr. Kao at 6 p.m. A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation. No RSVP is required.
For more information about the event or to inquire about Housecalls, call 541-257-5904 or email info@luminahospice.org.