Are house calls a bad call?

I am firmly on record as being highly in favor of doctors who make house calls, so I read a recent article from msnbc.com with interest about WhiteGlove House Call Health, a Texas-based company that connects primary-care practitioners with patients at home for as little as $35 per visit.

According to the site, employers pay $300 per member per year to give covered employees access to a WhiteGlove nurse practitioner that will make house calls for $35 per visit from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The nurse practitioner even leaves behind a "well kit" of chicken soup, crackers, Tylenol, cough drops and tissues.

Throw in a copy of the latest Us Weekly, and you could call me a happy patient (which for me, is saying a lot).

And although I’m sure several other potential patients and parents of sick little ones would agree, some think that WhiteGlove and similar vendors may be doing a disservice to the health care system.

Experts who advocate for the medical home, for example, aren’t pleased with such home health offerings. And I think we can all agree that anything that further segments rather than coordinates health care is worth giving a wary eye.

What do you think? Would you consider a WhiteGlove-type service for your employees and their families? Or, do you think such offerings do more to hurt than help health care? Share your thoughts in the comments.