Richard "Todd" Stockton

 

As a board member what do you see your role being in creating a new med center?

1. Create a plan for the clinical service needs of the community that is financially sustainable without additional community tax burden

2. Ensure the appropriate leadership team is in place to execute and operate the plan

3. Assist in fund raising efforts and assure donors that execution risk has been minimized and managed

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As a board member what role would you play in keeping medical costs low for our community?

I have extensive experience in this area. I have spent my career helping hospitals and doctors take health care insurance risk and providing the tools to manage medical expenses for defined populations. The company I founded in 1996 (Valence Health) sole mission was to create alignment across employers, insurers and providers to provide the right care at the right time at a fair price.

 

Given the current administration's challenges to public health policies and equitable healthcare access, how do you see the clinic's responsibility in safeguarding and promoting health equity, particularly for marginalized and underserved populations?

1. I believe the clinic has both a moral and professional responsibility to serve as a stabilizing force in promoting health equity—especially for marginalized and underserved populations. TRMC serves as the first and most accessible point of care for this community, making us critical players in countering systemic barriers to health. This responsibility involves more than just providing clinical services—

   • it means actively identifying and addressing the social determinants of health.

   • Additionally, the clinic should take a proactive stance by forming partnerships with community organizations, engaging in outreach efforts, and using data to monitor disparities and drive improvement.

   • It also means training staff to recognize and mitigate implicit biases and ensuring that language, transportation, and financial barriers do not impede access to care.

2. It is critical however, to make sure that the clinic is financially stable. If the facility cannot support itself, it cannot support the underserved community.

 

What do you believe is the Telluride Regional Medical Center’s role regarding women's reproductive rights?

TRMC should not be in the business of deciding what woman should and should not be allowed to do with their bodies.   Reproductive rights are individual decisions. These rights need to be protected at all costs.

 

What do you see as the Telluride Regional Medical Center’s role in mental health care in our region?

TRMC is currently structured as a primary care clinic and an urgent/emergent care facility. It has not directly focused on mental health services. In the short term, I believe we need to ensure our primary care doctors are appropriately trained to identify patients who are struggling with their mental health and have the referral resources on the western slope to help treat these patients.  

 

What opportunities do you see for the Telluride Regional Medical Center to adapt its current model when moving to a new facility?

1. San Miguel county and the town of Telluride are in a unique position to re-define how health care will be delivered to its residents and guests for the foreseeable future. Land has been donated to build a new health care facility. Capital has been identified to finance the construction. The critical questions that remain are:

   • What diagnostic and procedural services should be offered locally, given the health care needs of the community?

   • What critical care services, if any, must be available?

   • How can we better coordinate transport services for those in need of critical care?

   • How can specialty telehealth services enhance the service capabilities of the new facility?

   • Can the revenue generated by the new facility sustain on-going operations without any additional tax burden on the community?

2. It is critical that the board of directors of the Telluride medical center have relevant industry experience to successfully assist TMC management team in charting out our future course.

 

What type of partners would you want to see TRMC working with?

1. Regional health care providers

2. Tertiary medical centers

3. Specialty telehealth providers

4. Rural health providers across the country to learn about best practices in other communities

 

Share something about your own experience with the Med Center.

Hah…too many experiences! Broken collarbone (Tommy Knocker), separated AC joint (Bridal Veil), Hip contusion (Polar Queen), etc. Also, my PCP is Dr. Anna Turner. I have had nothing but positive experiences with the Med Center and its staff.

 

What do you see to be the strengths and weaknesses of TRMC?

1. The current executive director, Jeff Roberts, is outstanding. In his short time here, he has brought a new sense of direction for the future of health care in Telluride. He brings strong operational experience, and a methodical approach to problem solving.

2. The biggest weakness historically has been the board oversight of the Medical Center. Until recently they have not been able to attract and retain executive leadership. Their lack of understanding of the business of healthcare led to a multitude of issues, including gaps in patient billing, which ultimately led to the community wide tax levy. Recently, a few board members who have health care business acumen have been added. Their value to the turn around should be viewed as a wake up to the community. The board can not be dominated by lay people. We must elect members who have relevant experience.

 

Please share some of your thoughts on the current services offered at the Med Center.

1. I believe as a baseline, they are appropriate. They serve the primary care needs of the community as well as the urgent care needs. Further studies need to be done to better understand what additional services we can support financially. What we cannot support, we need to look at alternative methods, including telehealth for specialty services.

2. If adding additional base services, I’d look at pediatrics, women’s health, MRI’s, and additional diagnostics.

 

Tell us about experience you have in Rural Health or running a rural business.

1. My largest and most long-standing client at my company was a children’s hospital in Corpus Christi Texas (Driscoll Children’s Hospital). They had a Medicaid Health Plan which covered all of South Texas with over 300,000 covered lives.  My company was responsible for all back-office operations, including health plan care management and care coordination services. What I learned during this experience was how critical a role the primary care docs are in rural health. Not only do they need to be a jack of all trades, but they also need to have access to world class specialists to meet the chronic needs of their critically ill patients.  

2. I am a mentor with the Telluride Venture Network for start up and growing companies on the western slope. I’ve worked with Karma Tutors, Flying Bear Pizza, Smithfly Rafts, Coffee Cowboy, etc. I have also mentored Telluride high school students as part of their entrepreneurship programs.

 

Tell us about a successful fundraising experience that you have had.

I have little fund-raising experience for these types of projects.

 

What is the number one skill or experience that you think you bring to board?

I am a health care operator. I understand the levers needed to successfully build and run clinical operations.  

 

Is there anything else you want to tell voters about yourself?

I am married to my wife Jill and have two children who are both out of college and pursuing graduate degrees in the health care field. We bought a home in Mountain Village in 2019 and have lived here full time since 2022. We enjoy skiing, golfing, biking, and fishing (and I’d be remiss to mention that my wife is also an avid equestrian!). I graduated from Princeton University with a degree in economics.