DOCTOR HOUSE CALLS

Physicians are making growing numbers of Medicare-reimbursed house calls for the elderly at home and domiciliary care visits at assisted-living facilities and foster homes. The American Academy of Home Care Physicians, which has about 1,300 members, said about 1,000 physicians in the United States make house calls full-time or for a significant portion of their practice time.

Number of house calls paid by Medicare by year:

1995: 1,513,016.

1996: 1,615,155.

1997: 1,547,713.

1998: 1,476,602.

1999: 1,448,030.

2000: 1,531,304.

2001: 1,602,020.

2002: 1,704,460.

2003: 1,833,598

2004: 2,075,603.

2005: 2,073,744.

2006: 2,084,230.

2007: 2,194,083.

Number of domiciliary care visits (assisted living, foster homes and others):

2007: 1,696,411.

2006 (the first year of Medicare reimbursements): 1,579,197.

Source: Constance F. Row, executive director of the American Academy of Home Care Physicians.