For many people in America, house call doctors seem like a thing of the past. In some cases, people tend to assume that the practice is either too impractical or just for those who can afford to spend massive amounts of money on a personal doctor. Though the landscape of the medical field has changed, house call doctors do still exist, with good reason.
Getting older comes with a variety of aches, pains, and quirks that no one tells you about. It’s difficult to predict specifics, since health varies person to person. You can, however, get an idea of how to manage yourself by seeing a geriatric physician.
You probably already have a regular doctor who sees you for annual checkups and anything else you might need on a fairly standard basis. There’s nothing wrong with seeing a general physician, but seeing a geriatric physician carries benefits in the same way it’s better for a child to see a pediatrician.
Changes in the medical landscape have left patients and doctors in a tough spot. The cost of insurance has been on the rise over the last few years and it shows no signs of stopping. Patients are paying more than they can afford for care that doesn’t treat them with the personality and empathy that they deserve.
Doctors are faced with a business decision: see more patients or lose money. In an effort to keep their practices profitable, doctors have had to make time to see more patients. Unfortunately for the doctors and patients alike, there are still only 24 hours in a day. There’s no good way for a doctor to see more patients past a certain point; there’s a maximum capacity. The result is too many patients to one doctor. Crowded waiting rooms, long waits for a doctor appointment, shortage of time with the doctor, and possibly not seeing the same doctor every time have led to the decline in healthcare quality.
