Prior to joining USACS, emergency physician Erik Hume, DO, found himself at the ED of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, a USACS partner location, as he accompanied his mother who was experiencing concerning symptoms requiring medical intervention. During the visit, Dr. Hume did not make mention of his own title or status as a physician, rather he let the ED staff take control of the situation and reach their own diagnosis for his mother.
“Walking into the ED, my main concern was making sure my mom was ok,” reflected Dr. Hume. “I wanted to fulfill my role as a son in this particular moment, so I let my fellow medical professionals do what they do best.”
Prepared to spend a significant amount of time in the ED, knowing all too well how the story commonly unfolds given his professional insights, Dr. Hume was pleasantly surprised with the efficient and thorough action taken by the ED staff.
“I couldn’t believe how quickly the process went,” remarked Dr. Hume. “I had an arsenal of items to help pass the time, but the staff acted with urgency and before I knew it, we were already being admitted and transferred. The logistics were seamless.”
Thankfully, Dr. Hume’s mother made a full recovery and had a positive experience during her time in both the ED and the hospital. Noting the quality care delivered, Dr. Hume took interest in learning more about joining USACS. It didn’t take long for him to sign on and begin the onboarding process.
Since joining USACS in February 2023 at our AdventHealth Zephyrhills and Dade City partner locations, Dr. Hume has developed great relationships with his colleagues and Medical Director, Javier Gonzalez, MD, FACEP, DABT. Dr. Gonzalez has been with USACS for seven years and has served as medical director since 2018. Having tenure in his position and striving to always achieve high quality patient care no matter the patient, Dr. Gonzalez was proud to learn his team accomplished the task which made a profound impact on Dr. Hume’s decision to join the team.
“We work really well as a unified team and hold each other accountable so we can continually exceed our metrics,” said Dr. Gonzalez. “We are able to see more patients because of our efficiency, and after speaking with Dr. Hume, this was a large factor as to why he wanted to join USACS. The ‘secret sauce’ for us is treating everybody like you would treat your own family and making sure all your systems are running efficiently to expedite care and see as many patients as possible.”
Another factor which proved to be a welcomed change as Dr. Hume began working in the AdventHealth Zephyrhills and Dade City EDs was the amount of communication and feedback he received regarding his performance. In previous positions, Dr. Hume was not able to ascertain how he was performing or if there were areas in which he could improve due to a lack of evaluation metrics. It was a very welcomed surprise when he found himself across from Dr. Gonzalez for an evaluation just three months after beginning the job.
“At USACS, we take care of our physicians and APPs so they never feel like they are just a number,” said Dr. Gonzalez. “We conduct bi-annual evaluations with all our physicians and APPs and we’ve even started meeting monthly to discuss metrics and talk through issues so we all can be successful as a team. From leaders to top executives, everyone on our team is scheduled for ED shifts so we always have an accurate idea of how to best address anything that comes our way.”
Inspired by the leadership of Dr. Gonzalez, Dr. Hume is looking forward to taking advantage of the available leadership opportunities USACS has to offer as he continues his career with the organization.