House call doctor visit: what to expect at home.

A primary care visit in your own home

If you have never had one, it helps to know what to expect from a house call doctor visit. In most ways it is an ordinary primary care appointment. The difference is that the clinician comes to you, sits where you sit and sees how you manage day to day. A house call arranged through Gateway may be made by a physician, a podiatrist (DPM) or a nurse practitioner, depending on your needs.

When Gateway arranges in-home primary care in Greater St. Louis or the Metro East, a partner clinician from a treating practice provides the visit and makes the medical decisions. We handle the scheduling, records and follow-up around it.

Before the visit

Someone will confirm the date, the address and how to get in. Mention anything that affects arrival: a gate code, a locked lobby, which door to use, or a dog that should be in another room.

Gather these in one place, such as the kitchen table:

• Every medication you take or use, in its original container, including over-the-counter products, vitamins, eye drops, inhalers, creams and patches
• Your insurance cards and a photo ID
• Hospital or rehab discharge papers and recent test results, if you have them
• Names and phone numbers for your other doctors, your pharmacy and any home health agency
• Home readings you keep, such as blood pressure, blood sugar or weight
• A short written list of your top questions

The guide to keeping an up-to-date medication list shows what to write down if you do not have a list yet.

Setting up the room

Pick a spot with good light and a firm chair, or use the bed if that is where you spend most of your time. Clear a small surface for the clinician’s equipment and turn off the television. Wear loose clothing with sleeves that roll up.

Decide ahead of time who should be present. A family member or caregiver can fill in history and take notes. You can also ask for a few minutes alone with the clinician.

What happens during the visit

The clinician usually starts by asking what concerns you most. Expect some or all of these steps:

1. Conversation. Your health history, recent hospital stays, symptoms, sleep, appetite, mood and falls.
2. Vital signs. Blood pressure, pulse, temperature, oxygen level and sometimes weight.
3. An exam. Heart, lungs, abdomen, legs, feet and skin, guided by your conditions and concerns.
4. Medication check. The clinician looks at the actual bottles and asks how you take each one. See medication review at home.
5. A look at how the home works for you. With your permission, questions about stairs, the bathroom, rugs and getting in and out of bed.
6. A plan. What happens next, who does it and when to expect the next contact.

If you have a wound, the primary care clinician will want to know who is treating it and how it is doing. Wound treatment itself is a separate appointment, described in our guide to what happens during a home wound care visit.

What a house call cannot do

Home visits are planned care. Some tests and treatments need a lab, an imaging center or a hospital. When that is the case, the clinician writes the order and explains why. Some blood draws and imaging can be arranged where you live, depending on the test and your location. See lab and imaging coordination.

A house call is not for emergencies. Call 911 for chest pain, trouble breathing, signs of a stroke, fainting, sudden confusion or heavy bleeding. Do not wait for a scheduled visit.

Before the clinician leaves

Make sure you can answer these questions:

• What changed, if anything, in my medications or care plan?
• Which tests, referrals or equipment were ordered, and who arranges them?
• How do I reach the practice between visits, including evenings and weekends?
• When is the next visit or check-in expected?
• Will a summary go to my other doctors?

Ask the clinician to write down anything you are unsure about.

After the visit

Gateway follows through on the orders that need arranging, such as records requests, referrals and supplies. With your permission, we send updates to your regular physician and to the family members you choose. Some follow-up may happen by phone or by a telehealth visit.

To ask whether house calls are available at your address, call 314-325-0126 or send the request care form with a name and phone number only.

Common questions

Related pages

• In-home primary care
• Primary care for homebound adults
• Medication review
• Keeping a medication list
• What happens during a home visit
• Request care
• Managing diabetes during wound recovery
• PAD and foot wounds