Stephanie Spear Perhaps the only thing worse than your kid being sick is your kid being sick and having to get them to the doctor’s office. Concierge medicine is growing in popularity throughout the US, typically for adult patients. One Northern Virginia medical practice has taken its pediatric focus on the road, directly to patients’ homes. Pediatric Housecalls is a mobile pediatric practice with two local physicians, Dr. Nina Niu and Dr. Rebecca Santos. Read on for more about how Pediatric Housecalls is changing the status quo of pediatric care in Northern Virginia.
About Pediatric Housecalls
Pediatric Housecalls is a concierge-style medical service for pediatric patients. The team offers in-person sick visits, virtual visits, sports/camp physicals, labs and common medical tests, and IV hydration. Dr. Sara DuMond, MD, FAAP, founded the practice in 2011 in Charlotte, NC. Dr. Rebecca Santos, MD, FAAP knew Dr. DuMond and got to know the business model while living in Charlotte. “I moved back to the area [Northern Virginia] in 2023 and brought the business with me,” she said.
Dr. Nina Niu, MD, FAAP, joined in January 2025 after working in a pediatrician’s office in Chantilly for several years. Both Dr. Santos and Dr. Niu worked in traditional office settings for several years before joining Pediatric Housecalls.
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Dr. Niu shared the advantages of this model. “In a typical medical office setting, we get 15 minutes max with each patient,” she said. “We’re always running behind and thinking about what’s next. With an at-home visit, we can spend more time with the patient and their family and develop more of a relationship.”
There are practical advantages to an at-home visit. “It’s hard getting a sick kid ready to go to the doctor,” Dr. Santos said. “And if you have more than one kid, especially little kids, it turns into something complicated. We’re on your schedule and you don’t have to pack everyone up.”
“We can see the patient in their home environment, and work closely with parents and caregivers to explain things or answer questions,” they said. “We’re there if they can’t get in with their pediatrician or if it’s they’re not able to leave the house for a multitude of reasons. That’s often the most rewarding part of this type of practice – we can visit one family that has three sick kids, or a mom who has a sick toddler and a newborn who can’t leave the house.”
Dr. Niu and Dr. Santos explained that the practice does accept insurance, and the convenience fee is comparable to an after-hours urgent care visit. “Concierge medicine is on the rise, but it’s more accessible than people think,” they said. Dr. Niu and Dr. Santos cover most of Loudoun and Fairfax County, but say that they’ll consider appointments pretty much anywhere, depending on their schedule that day.
What to Expect
Yes, a doctor will come to your house, just like in an old-timey movie or TV show. Both Dr. Niu and Dr. Santos carry the 21st-century version of the classic black doctor’s bag with various medical supplies and testing equipment.
Caregivers make an appointment through the practice’s website. “There’s no waiting on hold at the doctor’s office, or calling as soon as the office opens to see if you can get an appointment,” Dr. Niu said. “If your kid is up in the night at 2AM, you can schedule an appointment for later that same day.” Caregivers can fill out all of the preliminary paperwork online, too, so when the doctor arrives, she will have all of the information ready to go.
Both Dr. Niu and Dr. Santos want parents to know that they really don’t care about how clean or dirty your house is. “We are there for the child and the well-being of the child, and what the parent looks like or what the house looks like is the least of our concerns,” they said, while laughing. “Pediatricians, in particular, tend to be very forgiving.”
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Dr. Niu explained that while she and Dr. Santos can take care of most patients, if the degree of care needed exceeds what they can do on site, they will work with other medical professionals to triage the patient and get them to the right place. They also said that there is a seasonality to how busy they are. “Definitely flu and COVID keep us busy during the winter months,” they said. “And then sports physicals around sports seasons.”
For more information about Pediatric Housecalls, visit the practice online.
