PHOTO: CARTER ALLEN
BizMEDICINE
Dr. Steven Wool, Founder, Personalized Health Care of Tucson
New Patient Model Based on Old-Time Medicine By Gabrielle Fimbres As a young child, Dr. Steven Wool tagged along with his dad as the Illinois physician made house calls and tended to his patients. “He was a practitioner in the oldtime tradition,” Wool said of his father, Dr. Frohman “Buddy” Wool, now 91. “He practiced ’til age 78, and talked medicine until he was 85.” Inspired by the personal touch his father brought to the profession, Wool attended Duke University School of
Medicine and settled in Tucson in 1980 for residencies in family practice and internal medicine. After working in practices small and large, Wool has returned to the model he saw first-hand in his childhood – when a doctor had time to get to know patients. In September 2011, Wool started Personalized Health Care of Tucson. In what he calls retainer medicine, patients pay an annual fee of $1,500 for
individuals and $2,500 per couple. The fee includes an extensive annual physical, access to the doctor’s cell phone number, occasional house calls – yes, house calls – shorter wait times for appointments and expedited referrals. Also included are access to a nutritionist, psychologist, physical trainer, office fitness facility, monthly health and wellness classes and more. Instead of racing through patient visits, Wool’s appointments last 30 min-
Cindy Wool Memorial Seminar on Humanism in Medicine Following the death of his wife Cindy, Dr. Steven Wool wanted to do something to make the journey easier for other families and patients experiencing illness. Wool said humanism on the part of medical caregivers is a critical part of the process. “The importance of physician empathy for patients and their families is significant,” Wool said. “We all have power to help.” Following Cindy’s death in 2008 from complica132 BizTucson
<<<
Summer 2012
tions from leukemia, Wool created the Cindy Wool Memorial Seminar on Humanism in Medicine. The organization has sponsored three lectures, with support from the Maimonides Society of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona in conjunction with the University of Arizona College of Medicine. “We are educating young physicians on applying humanistic skills in their daily practice, helping patients deal with illness better,” Wool said. www.BizTucson.com