OAKLAND, Calif. , Sept. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Alameda Health System (AHS) has received a new grant that will help doctors offer home visits to patients.
House calls are a model of care most often associated with old-fashioned or luxury health care. But the benefits of house calls may be most impactful when applied to vulnerable populations who are disproportionately impacted by social determinants of health that negatively impact their wellbeing. Some AHS patients don't have reliable transit to go to and from doctor's appointments, which is just one structural barrier that can inhibit equal access to health care.
The home visit program eliminates that barrier and focuses on addressing the social determinants of health that affect AHS patients. For example, if a patient is repeatedly admitted to the emergency room, doctors will use house calls to try to understand and address the patient's underlying health problems and the socioeconomic factors impeding their access to preventative, regularly-scheduled health care appointments. "This grant will help AHS offer low barrier and patient-centered, home-based medical care to folks who are in the safety net," said Dr.
Alejandro Diaz , vice-chair of internal medicine at AHS. "It's a one-of-a-kind program that allows doctors to meet patients where they are and make direct interventions that can change the course of a patient's life. This program underscores our commitment to proactively addressing the barriers our patients face in .
