State House Call Projects
Overview
In its mission to expand access to home-based primary care nationwide, HCCI has to date piloted two state projects in Illinois and in Florida to gain a better understanding of the perceptions of home-centered care and to help innovative practices start or grow a house call program. Our goal is to create additional statewide projects using these initial pilots as a blueprint.
The Illinois House Call Project
Why Illinois?
Illinois has an urgent, growing need for home-based primary care. The state is home to 2.1 million older adults, with more than 52% being 75-plus years of age and older. Additionally, more than 700,000 have ambulatory challenges and approximately 260,000 are homebound. To address this need, the Illinois House Call Project (ILHCP) launched in 2022. Based on the program’s success, HCCI launched a second cohort in mid-2024.
HCCI thanks Loyola Medicine for choosing HCCI as its partner in developing their home-based medical care practice, and for sponsoring the ILHCP.
Goals and Objectives
- Launch the ILHCP with a select group of qualified practices, including independent practices, those affiliated with hospital systems, hospice and palliative care organizations, and more.
- Collectively enroll 6,000 new homebound or home-limited patients to receive care in their homes from 2022 to 2026 via the efforts of two provider cohorts.
- Foster the launch or expansion of high-quality home-based primary care practices to serve more patients and improve health outcomes.
Benefits and Outcomes
- The first ILHCP cohort has already exceeded its three-year goal ahead of time of collectively enrolling and serving 3,000 new homebound or home-limited people in their homes by 2024.
- Our second cohort will include highly qualified Illinois medical practices, including independent practices, those affiliated with hospital systems, and hospice and palliative care programs looking to add or expand home-based primary care services.
The State of Home-Based Medical Care in the U.S.
We know that more than 7 million Americans who are homebound or home-limited need Home-Based Medical Care (HBMC). But how many actually have access to this transformative model of care?
View the areas in Illinois where practices are participating in the Illinois House Call Project.
The Florida House Call Project
Why Florida?
In 2020, HCCI launched a pilot project in Florida, an area known to have a large aging and chronically ill population at risk of being underserved. At that time, the new CMS Primary Cares First Initiative became available in Florida as well as 25 other states. This important demonstration project featured new Alternative Payment Models (APMs) for primary care services, creating new opportunities for HBPC providers.
Goals and Objectives
- Grow the workforce of qualified house call providers serving aging, medically complex patients in Florida.
- Build a foundation for statewide research in Florida and for future national research aimed at strengthening the field and practice of home-centered care.
- Increase demand and capacity for home-centered care through professional and public awareness of the project outcomes.
Benefits and Outcomes
HCCI worked with twelve Home Centered Care Champions who collectively served half of the counties across the state of Florida. These Champions included Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, and Business/Operations Managers.
Some Champions noted their patient census more than doubled since starting with the Florida House Call Project, with nearly all reporting increased referrals, enhanced clinical competence, improved efficiency and productivity, and enhanced preceptor skills and confidence as an instructor.
Want More Information?
Connect with HCCI to discuss creating a similar project for your state.