We are happy to offer house call services for patients unable to make it to one of our offices. Currently, house calls are offered on the first Friday of the month by Nurse Practitioner Richard DeVera and on the second Friday of each month by Nurse Practitioner Christina Ashton. House calls are only for well, maintenance visits. We will not schedule a house call for a sick visit. You will need to meet certain criteria to become a house call patient. To make an appointment for a house call, please call 718-370-3730 x 1540 (or prompt 3).
To be eligible for house call visits, there are specific criteria you must meet.
- Homebound Standards
According to insurance standards, you are considered homebound if “you need the help of another person or medical equipment such as crutches, a walker or a wheelchair to leave your home, or if your doctor believes that your health or illness could get worse if you leave your home and it is difficult for you to leave your home and you typically cannot do so.”
- Re-Evaluation
Your practitioner is required to evaluate and recertify your plan of care every 60 days after you start receiving home health care. For patients who no longer meet the required criteria, house call visits will be suspended and a different plan of action will be determined.
- Maintenance Visits:
As mentioned previously, house call visits are for well, maintenance visits only. They are NOT for sick visits. If you are sick or think you are sick, you will need to seek medical attention outside of your home.
- Confirmation Systems:
Your time and the time of our practitioners is important. Therefore, our office will call one (1) to two (2) days prior to your visit to confirm the time the practitioner will be at your house. If this visit is not confirmed by speaking to a staff member, the practitioner will not come to your home for the visit.
- Pets: For the safety of our practitioners, please let the practice know if the patient who is being visited has any pets in their residence.
For the safety of our practitioners, please notify the office prior to your visit if there are pets inside the patient’s home.
Please note:
- Your doctor should decide of you are homebound based on their evaluation of your condition.
- Even if you are homebound, you can still leave your home under certain circumstances, such as for medical treatment, religious services and/or to attend a licensed or accredited adult day care center, without putting your homebound status at risk.
- Leaving home for short periods of time or for special non-medical events, such as family reunions, funerals or graduations, should also not affect your homebound status. You may also take occasional trips to the barber or beauty parlor.
- If you qualify for Medicare’s home health benefit, your plan of care will also certify if you are homebound. After receiving home health care, your doctor is required to evaluate and recertify your plan of care every 60 days.
If you have made an appointment for a house call, please download and sign the House Call Critera Form located under the Patient Forms section before your visit.
