COVID-19 has made traditional doctor visits and hospital care difficult, to say the least. Many families are apprehensive about going to public places, especially ones where there may be COVID patients. Yet these families often have no choice but to go if faced with health issues. A new practitioner to Hopewell Valley, Doctor William Boxer, has solved this dilemma by turning back the calendar with home visits.
“My business model is direct primary care, which involves medical visits at my home as well as making house calls for patients who are ill. I’m hoping to be a local country doctor, so to speak, for the Pennington community,” Boxer explained when describing his practice. In today’s world, where close personal relationships with medical practitioners are all but gone, Boxer is bringing this intimate form of healthcare back. For patients who may be wondering about any extra costs involved, Boxer assured that they don’t have to worry. “It’s a membership model, so patients sign up and pay a small monthly fee,” he explained.
For Boxer, COVID was the catalyst that finally drew him to act on his idea of offering home care. “I’ve been in practice for 21 years, either in group practice or as an employee of a hospital system,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to have my own practice. What drew me towards offering home visits was COVID. Lots of people didn’t want to go to emergency rooms or hospitals around March and April, which spearheaded my effort to make house calls.” These house calls can be arranged anytime through phone or email. If patients decide to go to his home instead, Boxer will see them, one at a time, in a clean, safe environment.
Even though his practice was inspired by COVID, Boxer does not plan on stopping his home visits once COVID passes. “My feeling is that it’s not going to ever go back to the same thing where you’re just going to have a ton of patients in a doctor’s office. You’re going to have a lot of patients who really want to be seen in their home,” Boxer said. For him, home visits are the wave of the future as they offer both safety and convenience in a future where both may be desperately needed.
Besides having a distinctive business model, Boxer offers unique forms of healthcare as well. For instance, he explained, “I do knee injections for arthritis. I also diagnose obstructive sleep apnea, which is a condition that’s very underdiagnosed.”
In fact, Dr. Boxer even helps many of his patients change their lifestyles. “Many patients are suffering from being overweight and exercising less during COVID. I help patients lose weight and exercise more. I’m also extremely passionate about helping my patients quit smoking.”
This practice has been a blessing in it and of itself, Boxer noted, “I find it so rewarding to go to my patients’ homes. They may be too busy to go to doctor visits or scared to do so during COVID, and I love meeting their needs.” Spoken like a true country doctor.
Boxer also offers COVID tests at this time. For more information on his practice, visit https://drboxerathome.com/
Submitted by Brian Chin. Chin is a junior at Hopewell Valley Central High School. His favorite classes are math, computer science, and history. He’s involved in Model U.N., Future Business Leaders of America, and robotics. Brian enjoys reading, hanging out with friends, and playing tennis in his free time.
