Seems like you can do pretty much everything without leaving your home nowadays. What about a doctor’s visit?
Debbie Pierce, an advanced nurse practitioner with Kaiser Permanente does just that. She makes house calls to check on newborns and their families.
“It's so nice to have someone come and check on your baby, and you don't even have to leave your house,” says mom Emily Jenkins.
Jenkins’ family room serves as a make-shift exam room.
But unlike a typical trip to the pediatrician, nurse Pierce checks on mother, too.
“It's hard to like, raise concern about yourself because all of your attention and focus is on them,” Jenkins says. “But you know having someone to advocate for you to feel good.”
House calls reduce hospital re-admission rates by 25 percent, according to research published by the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
“So, we are saving that family from having to go back for a hospitalization, not only the cost but the just emotional trauma of all of that,” Pierce says.
However, there are some challenges.
“I can't just go down the hall and say, ‘You know doctor, what do you think it's now?’ Phone calls and having to have further consultation done,” Pierce explains.
But for Jenkins growing family, these house calls bring peace of mind.