Outlook for Home-Based Primary Care Positive | Home Centered Care Institute

This is an excerpt from an article published in HealthLeaders featuring an interview with HCCI President and Chief Operating Officer, Julie Sacks.

HealthLeaders | Analysis | By Christopher Cheney | March 17, 2021

The new leader of the Home Centered Care Institute (HCCI) sees a bright future for home-based primary care.

HCCI is one of the country’s leading advocacy and education organizations for home-based primary care. Julie Sacks, MSW, was recently promoted from chief operating officer of HCCI to president and chief operating officer.

Sacks joined HCCI in 2015 as vice president of operations and advancement. Previously, she was senior director of programs and services as well as director of the National Young Onset Center for the American Parkinson Disease Association.

Sacks is succeeding founder and CEO Thomas Cornwell, MD, who transitioned to executive chairman effective March 9. He also took on a new role as senior medical director of VillageMD’s Village@Home.

HealthLeaders recently had a conversation with Sacks about the present status of home-based primary care and prospects for the future. The following is a lightly edited transcript of that conversation.

HealthLeaders: What are the main elements of home-based primary care?

Julie Sacks: The most basic definition of home-based primary care is that it is a way of providing primary care to the most at-risk and vulnerable people in our society. Generally, home-based primary care is provided to homebound and frail people who oftentimes are not getting primary care because it is too difficult for them to leave home.

The services you get through home-based primary care include annual wellness visits, vaccinations for patients and their caregivers, remote patient monitoring, telehealth, and care coordination. The home-based primary care doctor is often the quarterback of a patient’s care team. They provide primary care, but they also know when to bring in palliative care, hospice, and home health services.

HL: How does a house call add value to a patient’s healthcare?

Sacks: There is a strong relationship that gets developed between the clinicians and the patients. I went on house calls when I first started working at HCCI, and there was a gentleman who told the physician that… READ MORE

Education

HCCI offers classroom workshops, online courses, and practicum experiences for individuals and practice groups to enhance their knowledge and skills in home-based primary care.

HCCIntelligence™

We recognize the numerous challenges that can be encountered by home-based primary care (HBPC) providers. Through the HCCIntelligence Resource Center, we offer free access to knowledgeable experts and timely guidance.

Consulting

Relationship-focused, results-driven. As a nationally recognized authority on clinical and operational best practices for home-based care, HCCI helps organizations build sustainable home-based primary care programs.

Research

HCCI closely monitors and shares published studies relevant to the field and reports on findings and outcomes – in particular, those that contribute to the business case and identification of best practices in HBPC.