COLUMBIA, Md. (Nov. 17, 2017)— K. Eric De Jonge, MD, executive director of MedStar Health’s Medical House Call Program and director of Geriatrics at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, has been elected to a national leadership role, as president of the American Academy of Home Care Medicine (AAHCM). AAHCM is a professional society for physicians, healthcare professionals, and agencies interested in improving care of patients in the home.
The organization’s immediate past president, Mindy Fain, MD, describes Dr. De Jonge as “an inspirational leader and remarkable clinician who is passionate about the mission and vision of the academy and the field of home care medicine.”
In 1999, Dr. De Jonge co-founded the Medical House Call Program at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. The program recently expanded to Baltimore at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital.
“Enabling frail elders to continue to live in their homes promotes their health and dignity. We have also demonstrated that this model is a cost-effective way to deliver care,” Dr. De Jonge said.
Dr. De Jonge is committed to expanding home-based primary care across the United States and has been a leading advocate for Medicare reform to support expansion of home-based elder care, frequently testifying before governmental agencies and Congress.
In 2005, the U.S. Congress Special Committee on Aging named the Medical House Call Program as a National Innovator in Elder Care. In 2003, Dr. De Jonge was named National House Call Physician of the Year by the AAHCM.
Dr. De Jonge is on faculty at Georgetown University School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He received his medical degree from Yale School of Medicine and trained in primary care internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview. He completed fellowships in health policy at Georgetown and in Geriatrics at Johns Hopkins. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Geriatric Medicine and Internal Medicine.
About MedStar Health
MedStar Health is a not-for-profit health system dedicated to caring for people in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region, while advancing the practice of medicine through education, innovation and research. MedStar’s 30,000 associates, 6,000 affiliated physicians, 10 hospitals, ambulatory care and urgent care centers, and the MedStar Health Research Institute are recognized regionally and nationally for excellence in medical care. As the medical education and clinical partner of Georgetown University, MedStar trains more than 1,100 medical residents annually. MedStar Health’s patient-first philosophy combines care, compassion and clinical excellence with an emphasis on customer service. For more information, visit MedStarHealth.org.