House calls were once a mainstay of the medical profession. However, due in part to the ever-increasing cost of health care, the house call was replaced by medical offices, clinics, and emergency rooms. The complex needs of the medically fragile get lost in today's volume-driven, office based healthcare environment.
I, Christine Pluta, am the owner of Schuylkill Medical Associates that has been leading the movement of house call doctors to meet the complex needs of seniors and the home bound. I am a board certified family medicine physician who exclusively treats patients in the comfort and safety of their homes. I do not have a brick and mortar office; my office comes to the you. Although the majority of my patients are geriatric, I see patients of any age who are home bound or who find it a hardship to get to their primary physician.
I believe that communication and a team approach are crucial in helping the home bound to age in place. I become the patient’s advocate and will help families navigate the daunting maze of challenges that can come with caring for a loved one. Like any primary care physician, I provide a full scope of acute and chronic disease management, pain management, preventive care, end of life care, wound and incontinence care, and more. I will also change gastrostomy tubes and tracheostomy tubes in the home. I work closely with families, visiting nurses, hospice nurses, therapists, social workers, care managers, and specialists.
In 2021, I transitioned Schuylkill Medical Associates from an insurance based model to a concierge model to be able to provide even more comprehensive care to the medically fragile.
