There’s a doctor in your house
House calls are Oldehoeft's way of doing business
by Brian DiTullio       

NORTH VALLEY – Steve from Scottsdale had a problem. He’d aggravated an old knee injury but was having difficulty getting away from his office. So he found a doctor who makes housecalls.

Shuree Oldehoeft, a physicians’ assistant based in the Tramonto area, has opened up a business with one focus, making house calls, an old tradition finding new life in the Valley of the Sun.

“It’s a little more compassionate,” Oldehoeft said. “Which is what I wanted.”

Oldehoeft said she previously was an EMT and did urgent care/family practice for the last three years.

“I was seeing 60 patients a day. That’s not why you get into medicine,” she said. “I wanted to focus more on the patient and their needs.”

Oldehoeft noted she had seen a lot of busy professionals neglecting their health while she was an EMT. “They were walking heart attacks. They wouldn’t stop working for a doctor’s visit.”

Conversely, she said she  saw a lot of elderly patients who needed their children to bring them back and forth from the doctor’s office, which then also would require the person to take off from work.

“I decided to find a way to ease that burden,” she said.

House calls, once common among doctors in America, dwindled over the years and now, the practice is almost unheard of. Oldehoeft’s new business, though, has caught fire quickly.

“I’m actually surprised at how busy I’ve been,” she said. “Especially since it’s summer.”        

Steve, who preferred not to use his last name, said he called Oldehoeft after hearing about her. “She did a full exam. It turned out it was a torn meniscus.”          

Steve said she did a full examination in his office and ordered an MRI. After viewing the results of the MRI, he is due for surgery after being referred.

Oldehoeft covers Scottsdale, Cave Creek, Carefree, North Phoenix, Anthem and the Desert Hills/New River area. Allotting one hour per patient, her hours run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“If it takes 15 minutes, great. But every customer gets their hour,” she said.

Oldehoeft performs any kind of diagnosis available at any other general practitioner’s office in town including blood pressure and blood sugar checks, strep and pregnancy tests, physicals and urinalysis. She also can do simple procedures such as stitching up cuts, wart removal and draining abscesses.

Her mobile diagnostic kit includes antibiotics and similar medications a patient would receive at a traditional office.

Oldehoeft is able to write prescriptions for people who need more specialized medications and she sometimes refers patients to specialists.

Steve said he was so impressed that he brought Oldehoeft in to check his pregnant wife and 3‑year‑old son.

“She did it right there in the kitchen. It’s a great operation,” Steve said. “The only question I have now is do we use (Oldehoeft) for my son’s annual checkup, or continue with his present doctor, since he has all the records. We’re definitely going to use her for colds and things like that.”

Oldehoeft is board certified and contracts with two other area doctors who act as her supervisor. They are Dr. Wanda Juarros of Mesa and Dr. Jeanette Anderson of Sun City.

Oldehoeft said insurance carriers recognize her as a primary care physician and she now accepts Medicare. Most PPOs recognize her as well.

“All you have to do is make a co‑pay,” she said, adding she does do same‑day appointments.

For more information, visit her Web site at arizonamedical‑boutique.com.