Northwest Texas Healthcare System's new medical director, David Stone, MD, joins the hospital through its alliance with TruePartners Emergency Physicians, which was formed earlier this year to support high quality ER services. Here Dr. Stone discusses his experience and goals in his new role.
Q: Could you share a little bit about your background?
I’ve practiced emergency medicine for about 20 years and was in a medical director role for the past 14 years. I was born in Florida, grew up in South Carolina and I’ve lived in Texas since 2008. My wife and I met in the U.S. Air Force and spent time in Texas. We have two young kids, ages 6 and 8, and an adult daughter.
Q: Why did you choose Northwest, and what are your goals?
Northwest’s philosophy of engaging providers to enhance efficiency fits perfectly with mine. One of our goals is to cut down on “door-to-doctor time,” which is the time from when patients arrive in the ER to when they see a doctor. We’re trying to get it down to less than 20 minutes, and the ultimate goal is that nobody has to sit in the waiting room.
Q: What are you doing to support timely, quality care?
We’ve begun doing registration at the bedside, which enables us to transition patients out of the waiting room more quickly and provide a more comfortable experience. Earlier this year, we announced the addition of eight new bays with recliners to support faster overall care. I’m committed to advancing these kinds of ideas that are already making a difference in the ER.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job and outside of work?
I enjoy the level of care and the number of interactions on a day-to-day basis in the ER. We truly are saving lives every day, and that is very rewarding. In my free time, I enjoy outdoor activities like hunting, fishing and biking. I used to be a competitive body builder and also enjoy gym time.