Joe Imel/Daily News Amy Spader checks the oxygen levels of Maude Nunnally Thursday at Bowling Green Retirement Village. Spader of Bowling Green, is a family nurse practitioner that does house calls for primary care needs, for patients that are home limited or home bound. The practice she works for is MD2U and was started in Louisville in 2006. J. Michael Benfield started the practice with the idea that patients often need healthcare and are unable, or find it difficult, to get it due to various reasons including lack of resources, immobility, no family support. Common primary care issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid problems, anemia, and others can be addressed in the patient's home. Any necessary labs, XRay, EKG, or ultrasound can be done in their home with the services billed to any insurance.

When Jolene Rush’s mother, Maude Nunnally, moved from Glasgow to Bowling Green, she left behind more than the city.

“Her physician was in Glasgow,” Rush said. “She didn’t have a family physician here.”

Amy Spader, a nurse practitioner for 12 years, had worked with Nunnally’s physician in Glasgow and was familiar with her. When Rush found out that Spader had started making house calls, she knew it would be good for her 95-year-old mother.

“We knew Amy was in Bowling Green but not working on her own at the time,” Rush said. “After she started doing house calls, we called her immediately.”

Spader is the local provider and manager for MD2U, a Louisville-based primary care practice that makes house calls to homebound and home-limited patients, those who can’t make and keep doctor’s office appointments on their own. Patients are seen by physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants. The service is covered by insurance, Medicare and Medicaid, and there is always someone on call.

“It’s just like the old-time house calls with a technological twist. We do it all in the home – lab work, X-rays, EKGs,” she said. “We do primary care for basic common health problems

Spader trained to do the job in March and began seeing patients this month. She has 150 patients in and within a 30-mile radius of Bowling Green. She sees patients with a variety of conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes and those who take high-risk medication and need lab tests weekly.

“We want to keep small problems small,” she said. “We want to keep (patients) at home and away from the (emergency room).”

Working with patients in their homes gives health care providers a different view from what they would see in an office setting, Spader said.

“You can see what they really live like and what obstacles there might be,” she said. “You can pick up on cues that you may not have picked up in the office.”

The service is also good for caregivers, who often have to rearrange their schedules to make sure their loved ones get to their appointments. Those who can’t leave their loved ones home alone can also qualify to receive MD2U services, Spader said.

“It can be a load off them,” she said.

Spader will soon begin seeing Nunnally once every 10 weeks as a preventive measure and on an as-needed basis. When Spader visits Nunnally, she checks her vitals, including her blood pressure and heart and lungs, and makes sure she is taking her medicine correctly and that it’s working properly, Rush said.

“It’s just like you would do if you went to the office for a mini checkup,” she said.

The service is convenient for her mother, Rush said.

“Having someone come into your home is just wonderful. She doesn’t have to go out in the bad winter weather. If she needs the service of a physician, (Spader is) there to provide this service,” she said. “I feel it’s a much-needed service here. Some people may not have any family to take them to the doctor. It’s a wonderful service she’s providing.”

— For more information, call 270-872-4280, toll free at 866-460-3567, email aspader@md2u.net or visit www.md2u.net.