UCSF House Calls Program Visits Homebound Patients
When a visit to the office or hospital would set medical care back, home visits help deliver needed care. Meanwhile, other news outlets report on a state push to inform patients when a doctor faces disciplinary action. And a resolution program at Stanford Hospital delivers patients an apology, explanation and, sometimes, monetary compensation when things go wrong.
The California Health Report:
Get The Door, It’s The Doctor: House Calls For Older Patients In San Francisco
UCSF’s House Calls program started in the early 1990s as a training module for medical students and residents. Need and demand have helped the program grow to a current 300 patients and another 100 on a waiting list, says Dr. Carla Perissinotto, an attending physician in the program and Carol Hill’s personal physician. New technology has expanded the program’s capabilities including portable x-ray and ultrasound equipment. Dr. Perissinotto recently used telehealth technology to check a patient’s skin infection, and gerontology residents at UCSF who are part of the visiting staff often use the telehealth technology during a patient visit to consult with attending physicians. (Kitz, 2/1)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Docs On Probation Face Patient Notice Push
Although the state medical board seems to have other ideas, a well-known national nonprofit continues to push for rules that would require doctors on probation to notify their patients about the disciplinary action. During the Medical Board of California’s October meeting in San Diego, Consumers Union, the New York-based policy and action division of the magazine Consumer Reports, presented a petition asking the panel to establish a probation-alert program. (Sisson, 2/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
Hospitals Find A Way To Say, ‘I’m Sorry’
While operating on Gary Avila’s arm last year, a surgeon at Stanford Hospital accidentally nicked a nerve, causing an injury that affected the use of his hand. Mr. Avila’s injury was resolved through a Stanford program known as Pearl, short for Process for Early Assessment, Resolution and Learning. In addition to an apology, an explanation of what had gone wrong, and a waiver of his medical bill, Mr. Avila received a monetary settlement that both sides agreed to keep confidential to compensate for his pain and suffering. Stanford’s Pearl program is serving as a model for more so-called communication and resolution programs that hospitals are adopting to interact with patients when things go wrong and avoid costly litigation. (Landro, 2/1)