A new kind of medical practice is flourishing nationwide that offers to go to where the patients are — whether a home, an office or a hotel — to treat ailments as diverse as a sprained ankle or a bad case of bronchitis. Some services may even wheel in a mobile X-ray machine or an ultrasound machine, depending on the ailment, or perhaps pull out kits to test for strep throat or to draw blood. They may dole out medication on the spot or arrange for pharmacies to deliver prescriptions.

“When you call, you can speak to a doctor in five minutes, and that doctor can be there with you within the hour. Where else do you get that kind of delivery?” said Walter Krause, founder of Inn-House Doctor. The company says it has 40 physicians on call in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Philadelphia and Washington; some of the doctors are in private practice or work in hospitals, and they make house calls during their time off.

Retro Medicine: Doctors Making House Calls (for a Price) By JENNIFER ALSEVER -New York Times

Above New York Times article is from 2007. With the talk of health care reform going on today, retro medicine is making news again. Here is a recent story from AP:

Boling and his team make house calls.

And now he is on a mission: To convince Congress that the old-fashioned house call could be a fresh answer to the modern-day health care reform dilemma.

There are house-calls programs here and there. San Diego. Boston. The Veterans Health Administration cares for thousands in their own homes, saving money by reducing unnecessary hospitalizations and emergency room visits.

But Boling wants to bring house calls to the masses — up to 3 million of the most high-risk, high-cost Medicare patients in the country. The idea is not just cost-savings, but to provide a financial incentive to persuade more doctors to return to this kind of work. It's also about improving access and providing patients the independence they so desire.

House calls as cost-saver in health care reform?

Does it make sense to you?

We here at VintageMeds.com will not get involved with this whole health care reform argument but we strongly believe that if you are looking for some retro medicine artifacts, antiques, equipment and stuff, we can help you find them easily. So if you are a doctor who decided to go retro by making house calls and you need a retro doctor's medicine bag, look no further:

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