Why does Wake Forest Baptist Health provide house calls to vulnerable adults in their own homes? Because it’s important for all patients to have access to the care they need, regardless of their situation. We are not a home health agency. Our team provides medical visits in a patient’s home like they would have in an office-based primary care clinic. We offer three types of house calls, custom-designed around our patients’ needs: Primary care; transitional care; and palliative care consultations.

Home-based Primary Care

Primary care visits can be arranged under the following conditions:

  • Patient is an older adult with physical or cognitive limitations that make leaving the house challenging, or require one-person assistance (homelimited or homebound). Lack of transportation alone is not sufficient.
  • Patient lives within 15-20 minute radius of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
  • Patient is insured through Medicare, Medicaid or private payer insurance (all Medical Center accepted insurances).
  • Patient must transfer existing primary care to the program.
  • There can be no active, illicit drug use in the home.
  • Patient must not suffer from severe active psychiatric illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorders.

Transitional Care House Calls

Transitional care house calls are for patients who have recently been discharged from the hospital, and can be arranged under the following conditions:

  • Patient has had recent, non-elective hospitalizations or emergency room visits in the past year — especially if there has been more than one.
  • Patient is at high risk for readmission, including having a high number of medications, cognitive impairment, lack of social support or poor health literacy.
  • Patient is 18 or older.
  • Patient lives within a 25-mile radius of the Medical Center.
  • Patient must not have had safety or behavior alerts while inpatient.

Palliative Care Consultations

Palliative care house calls are for patients already in our program who need additional care and support for issues like chronic pain, shortness of breath, or other symptoms that are burdensome and impacting quality of life. Patients do not need to be near the end of their life to be eligible for these house calls.

Priority Patients

We prioritize the scheduling of patients who are at high risk for multiple hospitalizations or emergency room visits, patients who belong to the Medical Center accountable-care organization, and homebound dementia patients.