June 1st, 2021
Categories: Training & Education

Florida House Call Project_RGB_med

In the summer of 2020, with support from the RRF Foundation for Aging, the Home Centered Care Institute (HCCI) launched The Florida House Call Project. This initiative was designed to motivate and educate a new network of home-based primary care (HBPC) providers to spread awareness of the benefits of HBPC by preparing them to lead local training and in-service activities in their communities.

A key first step in the Fall/Winter of 2020 was to identify a cohort of Home-Centered Care Champions in a variety of locations in Florida. Ultimately, twelve “Champions” were accepted into the pilot and introduced to HCCI’s resources, tools, and training materials. After completing HCCI’s virtual Essential Elements and Advanced Applications of Home-Based Primary Care workshops, along with other online HCCI courses, these providers and practice professionals also participated in a full-day virtual “Train-the-Trainer” workshop in March 2021.

“Our goal with the Train-the-Trainer workshop was to ensure our Champions are fully equipped to serve as leaders, teachers, and champions of home-based care within their practice/health system, their community, and across the state of Florida,” said , chief learning officer, HCCI. “This was an intense workshop with topics ranging from clinical reasoning in geriatrics presented by faculty from Harvard Medical School to a deep dive into HBPC supply and demand in Florida. It also included a panel discussion on Florida community resources to support HBPC programs.”

Research is also an important component of The Florida House Call Project. A consumer survey commissioned by HCCI to support the project was designed to measure awareness and perceptions of HBPC among adults 50 and older in the state of Florida. The results uncovered four main insights:

  • The term “house call” is more familiar to consumers than “home-based primary care.”
  • Survey participants perceived HBPC favorably, even among those who do not consider it an option for themselves.
  • Positive perceptions of and receptiveness to HBPC are highest among those with mobility issues (or those who care for someone with mobility issues).
  • Primary care providers are the preferred resource for HBPC information.

A companion survey is now in process that will assess the current state of the HBPC workforce in Florida, identify any obstacles or burdens faced by providers, and appraise the overall impact of home-centered care on medical culture.

HCCI’s mission is to bring HBPC into the healthcare mainstream in the U.S, making it the standard for treating the nation’s aging, frail, and medically-complex patient population. HCCI is proud of the work the Champions have done and will continue to do. HCCI expects The Florida House Call Project to serve as a future model for developing the workforce for, and increasing public awareness of, home-based primary care.

HCCI is grateful to the RRF Foundation for Aging for its philanthropic support of The Florida House Call Project.