A personal message to my patients:
My family has been in Vermont for seven generations, ever since the winter of 1759 when Captain Abner Bisbee marked off the first road across Vermont, the Crown Point Military Road. The Bisbees settled in Waitsfield, VT in 1832, the same year the village covered bridge on Bridge Street was built. So, when I established Stowe Family Practice back in 1986, I knew that my roots in this area and my relationships with patients would be at the cornerstone of my new medical practice. From the beginning I recognized the importance of a personalized care approach. Patients received my home phone number and I made house calls, cared for nursing home patients, and personally admitted patients to Copley Hospital. Even my first practice brochure said “A new medical practice founded on a lot of old fashioned notions” and it had a doctor’s bag on the front cover.
Unfortunately, the medical care system has changed dramatically since those early days. Today’s healthcare environment rewards speed and technology, not listening, thinking and compassion. Myriads of external medical tasks, along with pressures to see more patients each day have made it increasingly difficult for me to practice, as I believe one should, away from the noise and confusion, in a calm and personalized style.
I want to return to the way I have always felt medicine should be practiced. I have come to realize I need more time with you… time to step back and get to know you as a whole person, time to work together as your healthcare partner, and time to focus on prevention and healing, not just a doctor caring for you when you are ill.
Therefore I have made the decision to return to private practice, allowing me to have quality time at each visit and an opportunity to be your best healthcare advocate. I want to take care of my patients in a comprehensive manner and be fully dedicated to your needs. I want the opportunity to work with you proactively, to help you feel your best and live your best life.
I am very excited about this upcoming change, and invite you to join me in my new personalized medical practice. I will be honored to remain your personal physician for many years to come.
David Bisbee, MD