To say that home-based primary care practices are seriously helping to solve the myriad of challenges for vulnerable patients in the existing healthcare environment would not be an understatement. Primary care providers like Emcara Health are at the forefront of primary care transformation, delivering a model of holistic care to patients wherever they live, whenever they need it.
The American population is aging at a rapid pace. In fact, the US Census Bureau estimates that by the year 2050, nearly 50 million people aged 75 and older will be living in America. And it’s no secret that older adults have an increased need for healthcare services.
According to the CDC, about 86% of Americans aged 65 and above are suffering from one or more chronic illnesses. Many of these people either have a severe disability or require assistance to perform daily routine activities. On top of that, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has made many patients and their families avoid visiting hospitals and clinical facilities where they can easily be exposed to the virus and other illnesses.
For all these reasons, traditional primary care practices are undergoing a huge shift, paving the way for the home-based primary care model. One study shows that nearly 25% of the total cost of care ($265 billion worth of care services) for Medicare and Medicare beneficiaries will likely shift to in-home primary care by 2025.
The primary care transformation to a home-based model also presents another benefit: it can enable higher-quality patient care at a reduced cost for health systems and health plans, improving both clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction.
For example, at Emcara Health, we use a team-based care model so every single patient gets access to a physician-led multidisciplinary team supporting the patient and the primary care physician. Patients receive care from nurse practitioners, physician's assistants, registered nurses, behavioral health specialists, community social workers, and other experts. A healthcare team can provide whole-person care to address the physical, social, and emotional aspects of a patient’s health, rather than condition-specific care.
Home-based primary care organizations like Emcara Health bring the expertise and advanced technology of clinics directly to patients in the comfort of their own homes for a better patient experience. To improve clinical outcomes, care providers make house calls to diagnose and treat patients.
The fact that potentially avoidable ER visits and hospitalizations for patients with common chronic conditions cost over $8.3 billion each year alone is enough to drive the demand for new care-delivery models. Healthcare leaders across the country are recognizing that in-home primary practice is the most compassionate and effective approach to caring for those who are unable to leave their homes.
Emcara Health provides primary care to medically vulnerable adults and seniors whose health conditions and/or life circumstances, in general, make it critical to be treated at home or wherever they live. Without our care team’s assistance, these patients would likely not be able to keep medical appointments, take the right medication(s) at the right time, and may rely on emergency care.
In addition to addressing physical health, our multidisciplinary team also helps patients address the emotional, social, and behavioral health aspects that impact health outcomes. We believe this approach of delivering timely, efficient, and patient-centered care is vital for quality improvement in the health care system as well as better population health at large.If you have any questions about how we serve health plans, please call us at 615-721-7020 or send us a message online.
