For Rheumatologist Devanshu Verma, Patient Experience Is Personal

When Devanshu Verma, M.D., MBA, was a teenager, his primary doctor brusquely informed him that he had Hashimoto’s disease — an autoimmune disorder that disrupts thyroid function — and that he would begin treatment immediately. It was Verma’s first memory of patient experience, and it wasn’t a good one. “The doctor was very brief: It was a two-minute meeting,” Verma recalled. “I had no idea what Hashimoto’s was.” Verma, now a ChristianaCare rheumatologist, said the incident motivated him to make patient experience a priority in his own practice. “When patients understand what’s happening, they are more likely to engage and work with you,” he said. “Patient experience is, quite literally, the gateway. There’s no medicine that’s going to be effective without that patient experience component.”

Word has spread that Verma is an active listener who takes his time with patients to clearly explain their diagnoses and treatments. As one patient said, “I am very, very pleased with [Dr. Verma] and his obvious care for his patients. He goes over tests and scans with me and makes sure I understand everything. I’m so happy I found him.”

Verma’s first step to creating a positive patient experience? Connecting on a personal level with a simple “how are you?” From there, he added, “everything is a discussion.”

If Verma is meeting a patient for the first time, he reviews their medical record out loud, including lab results and imaging studies. “I share exactly what I know,” he said. “Sometimes, it’s the first time they’ve heard it explained as opposed to just saying, ‘The labs look good.’” With the patient seated next to or at an angle to him — never across a desk — Verma incorporates visual cues into every conversation. “I literally turn the computer screen toward them and point at the numbers,” he said. “They see what I see.” Verma uses the same technique when explaining potential treatment, showing patients medication options based on their medical record. “I didn’t feel rushed,” she said. “I didn’t feel like I was bothering him.” It’s all part of a patient experience effort that hinges on expanding health literacy, Verma said. “At least 75% of my work is education, and the other 25% is treatment,” he said. “Patient experience and patient education are very closely tied together.”

Patient Tina Shaw saw Verma’s smile first. When the doctor took a seat next to Shaw and asked her to tell him about herself, she confided that she was nervous. Shaw, who previously had cancer, was seeing Verma because of a troubling test result.

“I didn’t feel rushed,” she said. “I didn’t feel like I was bothering him.” Instead, Shaw said, Verma took the time to speak in terms she understood, breaking down complex medical jargon. She left the office feeling appreciative and relieved, thanks to "the best provider I have ever seen." Verma is designing a curriculum for a fellowship on how to approach patients, techniques for daily interactions, including in person, phone and video. “A lot of patient experience is what we don’t see,” he said. “It’s the perceptions and the emotional dimension.”