In Italy, doctors still make house calls; indeed, the Giovanni Battista Hospital in Torino has a Geriatric Home Hospitalization Service that looks after elderly congestive heart failure patients in their homes.  In a recent study, this service provided no advantage regarding mortality, but did record patient improvements in depression, nutritional status, and quality of life, along with a significant increase in days before hospital readmission. No telemedicine services were used, but the study does show some advantages of home care over hospital outcomes. Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore has a similar home service.   MORE