In-home primary care in South County
South County is known for longtime homeowners, with many people in their eighties still in the homes they bought as young couples. They manage well until a fall, a hospital stay or giving up the car keys changes things. In-home primary care follow-up is suited to that turning point. A partner clinician comes to the home or facility for medication reviews and chronic condition visits. Gateway arranges it, requests records from the hospital and specialists and, with permission, tells adult children what the treating clinician found and ordered.
Care settings in South County are varied. Affton and Lemay have small brick bungalows and older two-bedroom homes. Concord, Sappington and Mehlville are known for ranch houses. Oakville and Sunset Hills have newer and larger homes. Throughout the area there are condominiums, senior apartments, assisted living, memory care and many skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers. Gateway arranges partner clinician visits in all of them. We fit the request to the setting, whether that means a kitchen-table visit in Affton or a visit planned with the nursing staff at a facility.
For the full range of services, see primary care in St. Louis, including house calls, annual wellness visits and follow-up after a hospital stay.
What the clinician can look at
Primary care at home is not only for times when something is wrong. A yearly wellness visit looks ahead. It is a planning visit more than a physical exam: a review of your health risks, questions about memory, mood and falls, and a schedule for the vaccines and screenings that fit your age and health. Some people also use it to talk through the care they would want during a serious illness. See annual wellness visits for what to expect.
Between wellness visits, follow-up covers the everyday work of primary care: managing long-term conditions, reviewing medications, checking in after a hospital stay, and ordering lab tests or specialist visits when the treating clinician decides they are needed.
Who in-home primary care is for
A move into assisted living often breaks the link with a longtime doctor. The office may now be far away, and each appointment needs a ride, an escort and half a day. Gateway arranges primary care in assisted living for residents in South County, so the clinician comes to the apartment and the community’s nurse can hear the plan directly.
People in private homes ask for the same help for different reasons. Travel has become unsafe or exhausting, an operation or a wound is keeping them at home for a while, or they have not had a primary care clinician in years.
How primary care supports wound healing
Swollen legs make wounds slower to heal and skin easier to break. The swelling usually has a cause somewhere else in the body, such as the heart, the kidneys, the veins or a medication. Finding that cause and managing it belongs to primary care and, at times, a specialist. Wrapping the leg and caring for the skin belongs to the wound care team.
The two depend on each other. A wound care clinician who sees a leg at every visit may be the first to notice that swelling is worse or shoes have become tight. Gateway passes that observation to the primary care clinician, who decides whether anything in the medical plan should change.
Where visits take place
Home visits in South County happen wherever you are most comfortable in the house, often at the kitchen table or beside a living room chair. Family can be in the room if you want them there. Being in the home shows things an exam room cannot: how the stairs are managed, where medications are kept, how meals are handled.
Partner clinicians also visit apartments and senior buildings, assisted living and memory care communities, and skilled nursing facilities. We confirm availability for your address and setting before scheduling.
Keeping your current physician involved
One question clears up a lot of confusion: who do I call for what? When several offices are involved, a refill request or a new symptom can bounce between them. At the start of care, ask the treating clinician’s practice how to reach them between visits and which problems should go to them, to your longtime physician, to a specialist or to the home health nurse. Write the answers down and keep them by the phone. For scheduling, records, supplies and anything that seems stuck, Gateway is the number to call.
Getting started in South County
Some people in South County come to primary care through another door. If Gateway already coordinates wound care for you, tell your coordinator that you would like primary care follow-up too. We already have your address and contact details. If you are in a hospital or rehab center, the discharge planner can make a referral before you leave. Facility nurses and physician offices can do the same by phone at 314-325-0126 or by fax at 314-786-7966. Whoever starts the request, we confirm availability before anything is scheduled.
- County: St. Louis County, Missouri
- ZIP codes: 63123, 63125, 63126, 63127, 63128, 63129
- Nearby hospitals: Mercy Hospital South; SSM Health St. Clare Hospital in Fenton; St. Luke's Des Peres Hospital (not affiliated with Gateway)
- Nearby communities: Affton, Mehlville, Oakville, Crestwood, Sunset Hills, Fenton
- Care settings: Private homes, skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation
What to ask about your plan
Before a first home visit, a call to the member number on your insurance card can answer most cost questions. Useful things to ask:
- Does this practice participate in my plan?
- Do I need a referral or prior authorization for visits at home?
- What would I owe for a visit?
- Are lab work, imaging and medical equipment handled differently?
Write down the date, the name of the person you spoke with and what they said. Gateway can give you the name of the treating practice to use for that call.
Common questions
Who comes to the home for a primary care visit in South County?
A clinician from a partner practice, which is the treating practice responsible for your medical care. Gateway is the coordinating company and does not make clinical decisions. Before the visit, you can ask us for the name of the practice and of the clinician who is coming, and whether that person is a physician, a nurse practitioner or a physician assistant.
What if my parent in South County has dementia and cannot answer the clinician’s questions?
That is common, and the visit can still be useful. A family member, caregiver or facility staff member who knows the person can give the history and describe recent changes. If someone holds legal authority for health decisions, tell us when you call so the right person is included. Read more about memory concerns and primary care.
Where do I go for lab work or an X-ray if I get primary care at home in South County?
It depends on the test and on your location. The treating clinician decides which tests are needed. Some blood draws and imaging can be arranged where you live in some areas, and others have to be done at a lab, an imaging center or a hospital. Gateway schedules the test either way and can help with transportation arrangements when a trip is needed.
How is in-home primary care in South County different from home health?
Home health is a service from an agency that sends nurses and therapists, usually for a limited period after an illness, injury or hospital stay, and it runs on a clinician’s orders. Primary care is the clinician who manages your overall health, prescribes medications and writes those orders. Many people have both at once, and the two work better when they share information.
Will the clinician fill out forms for a patient in South County, such as facility or equipment paperwork?
Often, but it is the clinician’s call. Forms for assisted living admission, medical equipment, a disabled parking placard or a caregiver’s leave from work usually require that the clinician has examined the patient and knows the history. Mention forms when you first call and have them ready at the visit. Gateway tracks the paperwork and helps get signed copies where they need to go.
Related pages
General information to help you talk with your own clinician. It is not medical advice, and the treating clinician makes every clinical decision. For a medical emergency, call 911.