Meet the Clinicians: Georgia Stovall

We are privileged to work with many people who have firsthand clinical experience. These talented individuals work together with our technology teams and clients to make sure we’re delivering solutions that work in the real world – not just the testing lab. With their wealth of knowledge, our clinical experts help keep our efforts aligned with the needs and goals of our clients.

In this series, we spotlight individuals who have worked in clinical settings and now contribute their skills and experience to Netsmart.

Georgia Stovall – Manager, Solutions Consulting

1. Tell us about yourself.

I am Georgia Stovall. I’m originally from Seattle, but moved to Kansas as a teenager. I have been married for almost 30 years and have three sons, one granddaughter and one grandson. I attended the University of Kansas and graduated with a degree in elementary education followed by a bachelor’s of science in nursing from Baker University. I have a master’s degree in nursing and a master’s degree in business with a focus on the macroeconomics of international healthcare.

2. Give us some highlights of your career in healthcare.

I started my career in healthcare in 1996, working in labor and delivery at my local hospital. Taking care of mothers and babies and seeing new life come into the world was my passion. I eventually found myself working part-time on the night shift in labor and delivery and part-time for our in-house high-risk obstetrician where I assisted him on his patient rounds and in surgery. I also dedicated time to doing some writing for a niche home health and hospice vendor.

From there I spent seven years at a large company specializing in medical imaging equipment where I worked the education team for perinatal software. This opened up another opportunity to work with an EHR vendor for acute care and physicians. After almost seven years there, I left to work for a small device vendor and then I was recruited to work at Netsmart.

3. Why did you make the change from clinical work to working at Netsmart?

There were several stepping-stones before I joined the Netsmart family. In 2002 I took on a technical writing project for a local long-term care and hospice software vendor. That experience, combined with the transformation I witnessed in my own hospitals’ journey from paper to electronic records that took me away from the bedside. I’m passionate about bringing the efficiencies of the electronic record to both clinicians and consumers. There is sometimes a lack of understanding within the health and human service industry as to the advantages of using an EHR. With my clinical expertise, I feel like I can touch more lives working on the EHR partner side than providing direct care.

4. What makes you passionate about serving the clients/organizations who use Netsmart services?

While working for my previous employer I had the unique opportunity to work with clients outside of the United States. I was fascinated with the healthcare system structure, including how they spent their healthcare dollars. I was amazed to find that the U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other industrialized nation but the least amount on behavioral health and addiction medicine. Our society has a long way to go when it comes to caring for individuals and families with mental illness and intellectual and developmental-related diagnoses. Health and human service agencies are underfunded, and may not see the long-term efficiencies that an electronic record can bring them, thus allowing them to care for more individuals and families. The job of my team is to demonstrate how our solutions solve their problems and can lead to additional funding through the recognition of trends and services needed.

5. What does your perfect weekend look like?

Spending time with my family (preferably outside), especially my grandbabies!