Inova forms partnership with DispatchHealth to bring healthcare to patients’ homes

Medical house calls are coming back to Northern Virginia residents. Inova has formed a partnership with DispatchHealth, which sends healthcare providers to patients’ homes for urgent illnesses and injuries that aren’t severe enough for an emergency room visit. 

A medical team that includes a nurse practitioner or physician associate, along with a medical technician, arrives at the patient’s home equipped with the tools needed to diagnose and treat the patient. According to the company’s website, the team typically shows up in two hours.

The in-home service is meant to provide the type of care given at a walk-in urgent care center – not to replace a patient’s doctor. 

The types of conditions served by DispatchHealth include Covid-19, influenza, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure, minor fractures and sprains, pneumonia, anxiety, urinary tract infections, food poisoning, and much more. 

DispatchHealth also lists conditions it doesn’t treat, such as loss of consciousness, severe abdominal pain, chest pain, severe shortness of breath, and intentional overdose. 

Anyone with life-threatening and time-sensitive injuries and illness should call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. 

To request a visit, patients can call 571-393-1944 or book an appointment at DispatchHealth.com.

DispatchHealth partners with most major health insurance companies and handles billing directly with those companies. 

Average costs for the in-home service can range from $5 (for a patient with Medicare and secondary insurance) to $50 (with a commercial insurance policy). People without health insurance would pay a flat rate of $275 at the time of treatment via credit card. 

“Inova is excited to launch this new integrated care delivery solution that will provide expanded access for patients seeking acute medical care from the comfort of their homes 365 days a year,” says Toni Ardabell, chief of Clinical Enterprise Operations. “This partnership with DispatchHealth complements Inova’s existing urgent care, primary care, and emergency services in Northern Virginia.”