Long-term conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure require ongoing monitoring and care. If you have one or more disorders like these, contact Laureen Koehler, FNP-C, at House Calls, LLC. The practice is based in Belhaven, North Carolina, but serves all North Carolina patients via secure telemedicine. Laureen also makes home visits to patients in Beaufort, Dare, Hyde, and Pitt County. Call to learn how you can benefit from chronic disease management. You can also book a home visit or telehealth appointment online today.
Chronic disease management supports people with one or several long-term health problems. Common conditions that might require chronic disease management include:
Hypertension and high cholesterol don’t usually cause symptoms but need ongoing management because they can lead to life-threatening strokes and heart attacks.
Living with long-term health problems is tough. It’s difficult enough getting through the day when you feel tired, low, and in pain, let alone worrying about your condition and struggling to care for yourself properly. House Calls, LLC’s chronic disease management service optimizes your treatment and ensures you remain as well as possible.
Chronic diseases can quickly worsen, and you could develop complications that significantly impact your quality of life.
For example, if you don’t manage Type 2 diabetes properly, it can damage the blood vessels and nerves throughout your body, potentially causing sight loss (diabetic retinopathy), kidney failure (diabetic nephropathy), chronic pain (diabetic neuropathy), and diabetic ulcers.
Ulcers are open wounds that resist healing. They’re prone to infection, and you could develop gangrene — a disorder that kills tissues and spreads through the body. Untreatable gangrene could require limb amputation. Your chronic disease management program prevents these devastating events.
Laureen tailors your chronic disease management plan to reflect your needs. All patients benefit from routine blood pressure checks and blood tests, while some services are specific to your condition. For example, a diabetic foot check identifies early signs of ulcer formation, and if you have heart disease, you need regular electrocardiograms (EKGs).
You can discuss any issues troubling you at your routine appointments, and Laureen will complete a physical exam. That involves checking vital signs like temperature and breathing rate and looking for abnormalities like new skin lesions or joint pain. If you need lab work, she can do that during a home visit.
Serving as a primary care provider, Lauren visits patients at home, work, or school to check their condition and identify areas for improvement. She offers monthly, quarterly, or biannual (twice-yearly) home visits, depending on your needs.
Call House Calls, LLC, to learn how to benefit from chronic disease management, or book an appointment online today.