Based on that information and answers to assessment questions asked, we would outline the proper course of action, prescribe any necessary medications, and order any tests that needed to be done. People in nursing homes have to have a physician of record. Geriatrics Associates of America is hired by a patient's family to be the primary caregiver. In that way, it is almost like a private practice. The other scenario may be that one of our physicians is the medical director of a nursing home.
Nursing homes have to have a doctor there who oversees the medical needs of the people.
We have 2,000 patients in 60 homes who we see once a month, and work with on a regular basis as needed. The telemedics handle things that come up outside the weekly visits. Studies showed that nurses were spending three to four hours waiting for a doctor to call them back. With the telemedic nurse practitioners answering calls all day, that time is cut drastically and help is more immediate. People always assume that.