Frequently Asked Questions
Click on a question below to see the answer concerning our Primary Care program.
For the Hospice Services, FAQ please click here or scroll down.
Q: Who is eligible to receive an in home medical care visit from Housecall Providers?
A: Housecall Providers serves chronically ill and homebound adults living in the greater Portland area. Our patient population includes medically fragile elders, individuals with multiple complex chronic health conditions, and people with physical or cognitive disabilities. Additionally, the patient must NOT be in need of an emergency first visit, and the patient (or family, if appropriate) must agree to accept our services.
Q: How do I get started as a new patient?
A:
- Give our Intake Department a call at (971) 202-5500.
- Our intake coordinators will gather basic information and conduct a brief pre-screening with you over the phone that will include confirming that we accept your insurance info
- If our services are appropriate for your needs, our coordinator will send you a new patient application form to complete and return to our offices.
- Once we have your completed form, you will either be contacted to set up an appointment time or be added to the waitlist for the clinician who practices in your area.
Q: How long will it take to schedule my first in home medical care visit?
A: The length of time before your first visit is scheduled will vary depending on several factors, including:
- Where you live
- What insurance plan you have
- Our clinician availability in your area
Our intake team can give you an estimate as to how long your wait might be, but because things change constantly, it can be difficult to make accurate predictions. We encourage you to begin the registration process early- before a crisis hits, as we are not able to make urgent visits to new patients.
Q: What types of services do you offer?
A: Housecall Providers seamlessly integrates primary care, advanced illness care and hospice services into one unique program, so we can provide the best possible care and support throughout the entire lifespan of our patients. Many of the medical services you’d find in a traditional office-based medical clinic can be performed in the home by our specially trained clinicians or trust community partners in care. Some of these services include: physical examinations, medication prescription and management, diagnostic testing (such as x-rays, and ultrasounds), lab testing, immunizations, wound care, wart/skin tag removal, chronic disease evaluation and management, pulse oximetry, and many more. Our care coordinators work with patients and their insurance companies to schedule appointments, coordinate with specialists, and order durable medical equipment.
Q: What do you consider to be “home?” Where can a Housecall Providers primary care clinician see me?
Q: What types of insurance does Housecall Providers accept?
Q: Can I use a secondary insurance policy to cover what my primary insurance does not cover?
Q: Will my provider visits be scheduled regularly or on an as-needed basis?
Q: What if I need a visit after hours, on the weekend, or on a holiday?
Q: Will my Housecall Providers clinician be my primary care provider?
Q: How do I contact my primary care provider if I have a medical question?
Q: What if I need more than a primary care house call?
A: We have developed a multidisciplinary care model to meet the holistic physical, behavioral, emotional and spiritual needs of our patients and their families and caregivers. Our primary care team is comprised of not only providers (MDs, NPs and PAs) and their care coordinators but registered nurses, social workers, and a spiritual counselor who are here to help you navigate your chronic conditions.
Q: How will I know when hospice care is appropriate?
Hospice Services
Q: When is it time to ask about hospice?
A: When your doctor lets you know that your current condition or disease is not curable, and that the prognosis, if allowed to follow its normal course, would be six months or less to live;
Curative treatments (medications, chemotherapy, rehab, etc.) are no longer effective or create side effects that prolong suffering, discomfort and pain;
You want to stop having tests, labs, treatments, and making frequent visits to the hospital in favor of staying in the comfort of your home;
You are very sick and its increasingly more difficult to perform the activities of daily living (personal hygiene, dressing, eating, maintaining continence, transferring).
Additionally, over past four to six months you have experienced:
- Loss of 10% or more of body weight
- More than three hospitalizations or ED visits
- Presence of other chronic diseases or conditions
- Declining physical activity
- Declining mental alertness/cognition
Q: Our doctor suggested hospice. I’d like to know more about what would happen next.
Q: What qualifies patients to receive hospice care?
A: A patient is eligible for hospice services when their illness is considered terminal, meaning their provider has determined they could possibly die within six months if their disease continues as expected. There are also medical guidelines that providers and hospices use to determine eligibility. This may include but not limited to:
- Cancer
- Cardiac and circulatory diseases
- Dementia/Alzheimer’s disease,
- Respiratory disease,
- Stroke
- End-stage liver or kidney disease
- ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease and other degenerative neurological diseases
- Other diseases in which your provider may think your disease process is six months or less
