Charlotte-area pediatricians back to making medical house calls to treat children

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Local moms are getting excited for an old tradition: medical house calls.

Charlotte pediatrician Dr. Sara DuMond makes house calls to diagnose and treat most basic childhood illnesses in the comfort of home.

She said it all starts with a phone call to make sure it’s appropriate for her to respond.

"We essentially offer pediatric urgent care services in families’ homes,” DuMond said. “We can do most basic diagnostic testing and prescribing straight from the home. We use our medical background and knowledge to sort of triage and decide if this is something that sounds that would be something appropriate for a home visit or not.”

[LINK: How to file a complaint to medical board]

Eyewitness News reporter Stephanie Tinoco found a few pediatric house call services in the Charlotte area, all accepting insurance and having different services to choose from.

DuMond said her demand is growing and she’s already responded to a few cases of the flu in the Charlotte area.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports there have been five flu-associated deaths in North Carolina and seven in South Carolina this year.

As the temperatures drop, some parents say it’s convenient and affordable.

“The first time I called, it was for an ear infection,” parent Betsy Kirkpatrick said. “If you have multiple children, I can't even imagine trying to bundle them up and take them to the doctor when they're sick and not feeling well.”

Tinoco asked the North Carolina Medical Board if pediatric house call services are held to the same standards as a medical practice.

The North Carolina Medical Board said there are no specific regulation that governs house calls specifically, however, all physicians and assistants are held to the same standards.

“The board does not allow and the law does not allow a different or lower standard simply because the care is delivered in a setting other than a medical practice, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Medical Board said.

The North Carolina Board said as long as the treatment and diagnosis is consistent with current standards of care in the area’s practice, then it is acceptable to the board.

Any complaints with a medical service, regardless of setting, should be reported to the medical board.

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