Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) – also known as modern-day house calls – delivers comprehensive, patient-centered medical care directly within the home. It brings the full scope of primary care into a residential setting and includes the coordination and oversight of home health and community-based services when needed.
Family physicians have long played a central role in providing HBPC and are uniquely equipped to manage the clinical and social complexities of in-home care. HBPC is especially vital for patients who are homebound due to mobility challenges or receiving end-of-life care, ensuring they can access consistent, high-quality care in the comfort of their home.
A critical component of HBPC is the management of home health services, which includes nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. Regardless of whether the physician makes in-person home visits, the primary care physician should be directly involved in the initial decision to initiate home health services and remain engaged in the planning, delivery and ongoing management.
Adequate payment for family physicians delivering HBPC and overseeing home health care services is essential. It supports the sustainability of this model and helps maintain access to high-quality, home-based care for medically complex and homebound patients. (1986) (October 2025 COD)