LET’S NOT lose sight of how getting doctors out into the community affects the quality of the health care they can provide (“Can house calls cut costs?”, g section, July 1). As a new pediatrician in Boston, I have had the opportunity to spend the last two weeks exploring the neighborhoods my patients come from. This experience will significantly increase the quality of the care that I can provide.
Having tried to shop for food in Roxbury, I have a better idea of some of the issues with access and cost that my patients’ parents will face. Having sat on a bus for over an hour while traveling from Mattapan to Boston Medical Center, I have an appreciation of the difficulty of getting to frequent follow-up visits. Having explored the parks and recreation areas in Dorchester, I can better shape conversations about exercise.
It might seem like a simplistic model — but these things have immense impacts on health outcomes for kids. It is my obligation to provide high-quality and applicable care for my patients. In order to do this I need to understand where they come from.