Senior Living Guide
Doctors are making house calls again by Mark Lord Chronicle Contributor
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r. Erik Ilyayev began his career right after completing his residency when he was called upon to treat his own grandmother, who was in need of medical attention but unable to leave home to get it. He realized then and there the need for in-home senior medical care services. Thus was born myhousevisit.com, an anomaly in a world where it has become all but impossible to have a doctor show up at your doorstep. Ilyayev founded the business 10 years ago and said that it has already arranged more than 2,000 house calls in the Forest Hills-Rego Park area alone. There was a time when home visits by doctors were common. According to the American Family Physician journal, this was most true back in the 1930s, and for the next two decades, though to a gradually decreasing extent. But by around 1980, the practice was almost completely a thing of the past. Now, while finding a physician or other medical personnel to visit you at home can still be a challenging task, thanks to organizations like myhousevisit.com, and others that offer related services, there are several options available right here in Queens. And with an ever-increasing senior population, not to mention the advent of COVID-19, demand for house calls is perhaps at its highest level ever. “Since COVID,” Ilyayev said in a recent telephone interview, “we have a lot more requests for our services. We can offer virtual visits and go to a person’s home.” So, how does it work? In the case of myhousevisit.com, which serves most parts of the borough, it all begins with a telephone call. A member of the team will take down the patient’s basic information. From there, according to the doctor, a
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new patient can be seen in the privacy of his or her own home usually within 48 hours. Blood work, X-rays and a review of medications are among the services offered, as is remote patient monitoring. “Every time a patient takes his blood pressure, we can see it on our end,” the doctor said. Suggesting that “medicine has to go with the new, evolving technologies,” he called such monitoring capabilities “the Netflix of medicine.” Among his team members are several nurse practitioners, as well as various associates specializing in areas such as optometry, physical therapy, nephrology and podiatry. All Medicare patients and those with many other types of insurance are eligible, the doctor pointed out, prompting him to ask, “Why go to an office full of sick people?” For further information or to make an appointment, visit myhousevisit. com or call (718) 569-7808 or (718) 576-4652. Dr. Dov Rubenstein, who serves as an associate podiatry consultant on the myhousevisit.com team, also has his own practice, Home Foot Care, PC. While originally working parttime in his office, he made the decision “many years ago” to devote himself entirely to being a full-time house-call doctor. For a while after the pandemic outbreak, he saw patients only when absolutely necessary, as he was “getting more and more emergencies. June was the busiest month I ever had. “We provide the same podiatric care as we would in an office,” from routine nail care and wound care to corns, calluses and heel spurs, as well as diabetic foot care, he said. While his patients are grateful not to have to leave their homes for treatment, especially at this time, they are understandably cautious when allowing anyone in, including their doctors. “My patients and anyone else there
Drs. Erik Ilyayev, left, Dov Rubenstein and their colleagues with myhousevisit. COURTESY PHOTOS com offer in-home care to seniors in most of Queens.
Dr. Andras Fenyves, here in a promotional video, says his group, Prominis Medical Services, will “find a way to send providers out” right away if a patient’s SCREENSHOT / IVAYLO SIMIDCHIEV / VIDEO EMPATHY MARKETING need is urgent. The home visits resumed in July. have to wear masks,” Rubenstein said, unless they can’t due to physical Now the doctor has seen “a very siglimitations. As for himself, he’s nificant increase” in requests for always equipped with an N95 mask house calls compared to the pre-panand maintains as safe a distance as demic days. Members of the Prominis team possible while treating patients. The doctor serves all parts of include cardiologists, urologists, Queens, and he says he can usually nutritionists and nurse practitioners. book an appointment within a week. Mental health services are also available. U lt r a“If there’s an sound, blood emergency, I tests, X-rays make it soonservice that has seen and medication er,” he said. prescriptions “Sometimes ‘a very significant are all availI’m in the area able at home. and I’ll see a increase’ in interest The compat ie nt who during the pandemic. pany accepts a calls within the variety of prihour. “We spend as much time with you vate and public insurance health as we would if you came into the plans. For further information or to book office, probably more,” he added. To contact Rubenstein, call (718) an appointment, visit prominis.com or 961-5320. You will usually hear back call (718) 852-5252. Parker Jewish Institute for Health from him the same day. Prominis Medical Services, a pri- Care and Rehabilitation, a senior livmary care group that serves all five ing provider in New Hyde Park, offers boroughs, offers much the same care a medical home visit program called at home that would be expected in an Parker at Your Door, or PAYD. According to Lina Scacco, viceoffice setting. And appointments can usually be set up within a week’s president for corporate engagement and community health services, time. According to Medical Director Dr. PAYD provides medical house calls Andras Fenyves, “If somebody has an that offer patients services similar to urgent problem, we’ll find a way to what they would receive in a doctor’s send providers out,” he said, indicat- office, including ultrasounds, X-rays, ing that same-day visits or prompt EKGs, lab work, annual physical exams and referrals to specialists. telemedicine are possible. She indicated that the service is As might be expected, COVID-19 altered the service’s ordinary routine. “only available for homebound quali“In the initial three months,” the doc- fied patients who are unable to leave tor said, “we suspended regular in- their homes due to health issues, person house calls except emergen- including dementia.” Patients must be aged 50 or over. cies. We tried to avoid contact” as PAYD serves Queens, Brooklyn much as possible. “There was a fear factor. People were not willing to and Long Island. Scacco said the service is covered come to the office and they were worried about house calls. We ourselves by Medicare. Other commercial and managed long-term care plans are didn’t want to spread” the virus.
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also accepted. “Patients are encouraged to contact us to determine if their insurance will cover visits from PAYD,” she said. Patients without coverage or who choose to go out of network may also pay by credit card or check, she said. As has been the case with most of the at-home medical providers, “The need for PAYD’s services has grown dramatically as more and more patients find themselves unable to leave home for needed medical care,” she said. “Our goal is to provide high quality medical care within the comfort of the patient’s home,” she added. Most patients are seen by a nurse practitioner within 48 hours, she said. The team is accessible 24/7 to answer clinical questions from patients and caregivers. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit parkerinstitute.org or call (718) 289-2606. Another option for those seeking at-home care is Nova Medical, PLLC, founded by Dr. Dina Zheng, its mission being “to offer superior healthcare and peace of mind for those who face the medical challenges of aging.” Nurse practitioner Eileen Miller, who has worked closely with the doctor since she joined the Nova team three years ago, comes with 45 years experience as a nurse, she said. In a recent telephone interview Miller said that “most of ou r patients are homebound. My whole priority is the patient. That’s what I base my life on.” At-home visits offer a full range of primary care services, including blood work, X-rays, EKGs and ordering any medications that are necessary. Once a phone call is made to the office, an appointment is usually available within two days, Miller said. “We’re very diversified,” she said, and thanks to modern technology, “We can communicate in any language.” Miller is even willing to put up with patients who practice what might be considered extreme caution over COVID-19. “They spray me with Lysol,” she said. “It’s OK with me.” For further information on Nova or to make an appointment, visit novamedicalpllc.com or call (718) 380-7800. The Mount Sinai Health System, which encompasses a total of eight hospitals and more than 7,200 physicians, was recently awarded a grant of over $300,000 that will go toward its telehealth services during the pandemic. The system also offers several continued on page 10
