Physician

David Zlotnick (1937-2002) with unidentified persons
Physician (Flickr, Stanford Medical History Society,  David Zlotnick (1937-2002)

Physician

  • You are the head coach and should be communicating with the team owner (the patient) as frequently as possible.
  • A physician with the aid of a case manager generally refers the patient for Home Healthcare. Prior to referral the physician
    • Makes the appropriate diagnoses
    • Creates the preliminary treatment plan
  • The physician’s role in home care is evolving.
    • Intensive home care is now being heavily utilized in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and France. (See Perspective: Extreme Home Makeover N Engl J Med 2016; 375:1707-1709)
      • These teams are led by physicians and require highly effective multidisciplinary teams.
      • Diseases where this approach is found to be most effective include:
        • Exacerbations of heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
        • Stable pulmonary embolism or deep-vein thrombosis
        • Pneumonia
        • Skin or soft-tissue infections such as cellulitis.