Urgent Med Housecalls is a physician medical service offering urgent care via housecalls to home, hotels, workplace, or other sites in San Francisco and the Bay Area, 24/7. It is the medical practice of Dr. John Horning, a veteran board certified Emergency Physician. Dr. Horning currently works out of his home, which is centrally located in Pacific Heights, SF, to allow for rapid response and easy access to most areas around San Francisco. Dr. Horning strives to provide a convenient, caring, efficient, quality and professional service for his patients.

What is urgent care?

Urgent care is not emergency medical care. It is provided for problems that require treatment in the near future, usually same-day. It is not appropriate for emergencies involving serious or life-threatening conditions. If you are unsure whether your problem is a true emergency, you should call 9-1-1 now, or go to your nearest hospital emergency department.

Why is Urgent Med Housecalls unique and innovative?

Urgent Med Housecalls is a cutting edge house call service brought to you by Board Certified Emergency Physicians. It is our philosophy that modern interventional house call services can be provided safely when physicians are properly trained and experienced. Many problems commonly treated in the emergency department can be cared for in the home, hotel, workplace, or other setting with adequate foresight and preparation. In the unlikely event of medication or other serious problem, it is the experienced emergency physician who is best prepared. Whenever we inject medications, our physicians keep readily accessible advanced emergency resuscitation apparatus, including oxygen, airway, emergency medication, and other equipment, nearby -just in case. As Board Certified, and highly trained, and experienced, Emergency physicians, we are fully prepared if things do not progress optimally. Our house call services are among the safest available.

Do you offer pediatric care services?

All residency trained, Board Certified Emergency Physicians have extensive training and experience in emergency pediatric care. While we do not offer treatment of major or life threatening emergencies, situations which are best treated in the ED, we do provide quality, convenient pediatric urgent care house call services. We recommend that attempts are made to contact the primary pediatrician before requests for house call services are made.

Does Urgent Med Housecalls have an office or clinic?

No. We are dedicated to providing housecalls only. The doctor works from home. centrally located in Pacific Heights to allow easy access and rapid response to most geographic areas around San Francisco.

What happens when I request a housecall from Urgent Med Housecalls?

When Urgent Med Housecalls is called, a doctor will usually answer the telephone directly. This is the beginning of the personalized service that is provided by Urgent Med Housecalls. After questions are answered, and housecall service is determined to be appropriate, the doctor will come to you.

How long will it take for my doctor to arrive?

The doctor will usually arrive within one hour and may arrive within minutes in many cases -- especially if the housecall is requested within the city of San Francisco. The doctor will advise you of the estimated time of arrival. For your convenience, you may request a preferred time to meet with your doctor. You will have direct telephone contact with your housecall provider available to you at all times before your doctor arrives.

What happens during the housecall?

Your doctor will arrive discreetly so that your privacy is maintained. After introductions, your doctor will perform a history and physical examination appropriate for the problem and will then recommend treatment options. After all questions are answered, instructions given, and paperwork completed, your doctor will depart. However, you will continue to have direct telephone access to your caregiver for any follow up questions or needs that may arise.

Can you describe an actual house call service that you provided?

One recent patient had just arrived from her travels with a terrible case of gastroenteritis (stomach flu), with significant dehydration, and she was groaning in pain. Within minutes of my arrival she received rapid hydration with IV fluids, medications were given through the IV, and her pain and nausea were resolved. She was smiling, and was much more comfortable. I observed her for awhile, then left. During this visit, my procedures were kept sterile, furniture was protected from contamination, and I kept a nearby compact medical bag with extensive resuscitation gear to be used in the extremely unlikely event of serious medication reaction or other problem. Her room was left clean, as when I had arrived. I then left her with instructions, supplied her with appropriate medications, and left the hotel. She had my direct telephone number to call anytime, 24/7, if she experienced problems, or had further questions. She never left the comfort of her bed during treatment, except to go to the bathroom. She fell asleep immediately after I departed, she later told me. I called her the following morning to confirm that she was, in fact, well, and she reported being very satisfied with her care.

What is the personalized service provided by Urgent Med Housecalls?

We enjoy being with our patients and not having the pressure to “move on to the next one.” The housecall medical visit is far less time-constrained than in the office, clinic or emergency department. Our patients are given the direct mobile telephone number for their doctor upon request of the housecall service. Patients continue to have access to their treating housecall doctor after the housecall. Housecall physicians usually follow up via telephone with their patients within a day or two after the housecall.

What medications and supplies do housecall doctors carry?

Oral and other medications are provided to spare patients a trip to the pharmacy, and medical supplies such as crutches, or splints are available as well. Housecall physicians carry injectable medications, IV fluids, wound repair and other equipment, and many lab testing supplies. Other tests can be performed by the laboratory of your choice. Upon request, prescriptions may be written and/or telephoned to your pharmacy by your housecall provider.

Can laboratory tests be done during the house call?

Mobile laboratory testing is offered. Many tests are available during the housecall visit. An iStat is carried for portable instant bedside blood testing for glucose, electrolytes, kidney function, and blood count. Point of care testing for strep, mono, influenza and pregnancy are available. Urine dip analysis is also performed. Tests can also be arranged to be done at a lab of your choice. Lab specimens, including cultures or other specialized tests, obtained during the housecall visit may be sent to the lab for processing.

Are xrays available?

Xray service is available to be brought to you by Bay Area Mobile upon request. Additional radiologic studies may be completed at a radiologic center of your choice. Your house call provider can arrange for these tests and will further direct your care based upon the results

What are the benefits of using Urgent Med Housecalls service?

Convenience -- no need to travel to the clinic or hospital. No need to wait endlessly in the waiting room. The doctor will come to you. Medications and supplies can be brought to you. We are available for after hours urgent care.

Comfort – rest in familiar surroundings while your physician cares for you. Avoid the stress of sitting in a crowded waiting room for hours on end.

Connect with your physician -- spend more time with your housecall doctor getting your questions answered. Your doctor will get to know you better, which can further facilitate optimal patient care. Maintain ability to directly contact your doctor after the housecall visit.

Professional – Urgent Med Housecalls is staffed solely by experienced board certified emergency physicians to ensure optimal care. Providers continue to practice hospital emergency medicine to maintain knowledge base, and proficiency in emergency procedures. We believe that this allows our patients to receive top quality housecall urgent medical care.

What other services are offered by Urgent Med Housecalls?

Re-evaluation of certain patients who have undergone medical procedures. Your doctor can arrange for this service. We work with home caregivers, and hospice services.
We recognize and respect complementary and alternative approaches to healthcare and work enthusiastically with alternative providers.
Translation services for over 170 languages via telephone are available to facilitate communication with your housecall provider.
We communicate with your doctor when needed or upon your request.
We arrange consultations and specialist follow-up care when needed.
Hospital Affiliations -- we help facilitate admissions to all local area hospitals.
Special events/excursions: for individuals or small groups with unique needs, we provide stand-by emergency medical services. Have a personal emergency physician at your side!
Physical examinations for school, sports, work, or other purpose
Work, travel, release authorizations
Treatment of travel-related medical illness.
Travel preparation, including International Certificates of Vaccination
Certified yellow fever vaccination
Tetanus vaccinations

What type of patients benefit from house call services?

Anyone wanting urgent care services brought to them for convenience may request service. While many of our patients are travelers, we also care for local residents on tight schedules, homebound patients, visually impaired patients, geriatric patients, non-ambulatory patients, and even agoraphobics find use for house call services. Many patients call simply because we offer after hours urgent care when their doctor does not. Some call after seeing how crowded a waiting room is. Parents often call because of the inconvenience of having to arrange for childcare for the other children while a sibling is taken for treatment. A few local physicians and surgeons offer our convenience services to certain patients when afterhours problems arise. We assist with certain problems that post surgical patients may encounter-at the request of the surgeon. Even frustrated HMO patients occasionally request house call services. Anyone can benefit from house call service.

How did Urgent Med Housecalls start?

The service was established by John Horning, M.D. a highly experienced, Board Certified Emergency Physician. After years of practice in various large hospital emergency departments, Dr. Horning gave up his regular position at St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham, Washington to relocate with his wife and two daughters to Prague, Czech Republic for a year away. During that year he commuted to Vail and Aspen, Colorado where he provided housecall medical service to the resorts, hotels and local residences.

He discovered that housecall medicine provided the opportunity to connect with patients that he rarely experienced in the emergency department because of time constraints. He noted that his patients were appreciative of the convenient and professional service that was offered by emergency physicians. From this experience he determined to further develop his own ideas of an ideal housecall service offered by emergency physicians.

After a year in Prague he and his family returned to the United States to San Francisco to live close to family and enjoy all that the city has to offer. The practice officially launched in 2007 and is currently based in Pacific Heights, San Francisco.

If Urgent Med Housecalls is staffed by emergency physicians, why can't they respond to serious or life threatening emergencies?

Emergency physicians in hospital emergency departments rely on numerous immediately available resources to safely evaluate and care for the seriously ill or injured.

Emergent radiologic studies such as stat CT scans, ultrasounds and MRI's are needed for many situations.

Other laboratory testing often is immediately required. And perhaps most important are the numerous medical personnel ever present and available in the emergency department including nursing, respiratory, therapists, lab and xray technicians, and unit secretaries who perform crucial multi-tasking functions.

Additionally, many emergent surgical and interventional procedures and specialists are readily available in the emergency department.

When 9-1-1 is called, emergency service personnel, including highly trained paramedics, arrive using flashing lights and sirens and bringing with them crucial lifesaving equipment and medications. All of this usually occurs within minutes.

Urgent Med Housecalls providers are functioning solo in most cases, with more limited resources, do not use sirens, and cannot guarantee arrival within minutes.

For serious or life threatening emergencies call 9-1-1
or go to your nearest hospital emergency department immediately.

Are medical insurance plans accepted?

At this time, we do not directly bill medical insurance.

We do provide forms for our patients to submit to their medical insurance provider for potential reimbursement. Many plans do reimburse for houscall services, especially PPO's.. We recommend that patients contact their insurance provider directly to determine coverage, prior to requesting housecall service.

Payment is requested at the time of service via: cash, Debit/ATM, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, JCB or American Express.

May I use my Health Savings Account (HSA) or FLEX account funds for your services?

Yes! Medical housecall services are payable with HSA and FLEX account funds – a significant tax benefit for you. Please contact your tax advisor for the most current regulations for these accounts.

What geographic areas do you serve?

San Francisco & nearby surrounding Bay Area. Marin, including Sausalito, San Rafael, Corte Madera, Tiburon, Belvedere, Marin City, Larkspur, Mill Valley, Fairfax. East Bay, including Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville, El Cerrito, Richmond, Alameda, Piedmont, San Leandro, Castro Valley. Peninsula, including Millbrae, San Bruno, South San Francisco, Hillsborough, Burlingame, San Mateo, Woodside, Redwood City.

Do you offer sliding scale payment options?

Because housecall medicine is time-consuming, it is not financially feasible to offer these services at a discount; however, we may occasionally accept sliding scale payment, on a case-by-case basis, by those who are homebound.

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