PCOM Partners with Residentialist Group to help treat high-risk elderly in Philadelphia
July 7, 2015Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) is embarking on an enterprise
partnership with The Residentialist Group (TRG), a California-based management group
specializing in the development and operation of house call programs. The new partnership
will specialize in the delivery of Residentialist care—which focuses on the care of
homebound or access-challenged patients—and will offer complex case management and
in-home clinical services to Philadelphia’s high risk, frail elderly population.
At the heart of the new partnership is the launch of the Residentialist Housecall
Medical Group (RHMG). The Greater Philadelphia-based network will develop interdisciplinary
teams to address the physical and psychological needs of its patients. Specially trained
RHMG physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants will deliver a range
of services, including post-hospitalization care transition services to reduce readmission
rates; ongoing chronic care for patients too frail or disabled to leave their homes;
palliative care services, and annual Medicare wellness visits.
According to a recent study in JAMA Internal Medicine, nearly 6 percent of those aged
65 and older are entirely homebound. Further, those individuals tend to have more
chronic conditions and are more likely to have been hospitalized within the last 12
months. Only about 12 percent of the patients reported receiving primary care services
at home, indicating a clear need for more home-based health services for this population.
PCOM’s tradition of clinical excellence in both Geriatrics and palliative care in
Philadelphia spans more than two decades. In support of the new network, PCOM faculty
and staff in the Department of Geriatric Medicine will utilize their expertise to
advise RHMG staff on issues such as clinical policy, evidence-based clinical protocols,
and contract development with regional Accountable Care organizations and managed
care networks.
"For more than 20 years, the PCOM Department of Geriatric Medicine has provided multidimensional
services for Philadelphia’s elderly population through a continuum of care, including
office and consultative care, inpatient, hospice, long term care and home care services,”
said Jay S. Feldstein, DO, president and CEO of PCOM. “This partnership will allow
us to expand our clinical footprint even further into the marketplace of residential
care, and expand our services to some of Philadelphia’s most vulnerable populations.”
The Residentialist Group has a long history of success delivering patient-centered,
outcome-based, in-home care. For the past 13 years, TRG has operated a similar network,
Housecall Doctors Medical Group, which provides on-site clinical services to more
than 1,500 homebound elderly patients in Southern California.
“Since our founding in 2002, our mission has always been to provide access and continuity,
as well as coordinated, compassionate, high-quality care within the home environment.
We are patient advocates. We seek to enhance the quality of life for our patients,
and help them to remain safely in their own homes,” said Norman Vinn, DO '77, president
of the Residentialist Group and former president of the American Osteopathic Association.
“PCOM has demonstrated a strong commitment to those we consider our core patient base:
the hidden underserved population of high-risk, frail, elderly patients. PCOM’s faculty
are experts in the areas of palliative care, geriatric medicine and end-of-life care.
To that end, this partnership is a natural fit.”
About Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Founded in 1899, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained thousands
of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists
who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just symptoms.
PCOM operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic
medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy and school psychology, and graduate degrees in
applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic
medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, non profit leadership
and population health management, organizational development and leadership, physician
assistant studies, school psychology, and public health management and administration.
PCOM students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service
to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care
to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
For more information, contact:
Daniel McCunney
Associate Director, News and Media Relations
Email: danielmc1@pcom.edu
Office: 215-871-6304 | Cell:
267-449-1360