Page 44 - BusinessWest September 19, 2022

HEALTHCARE HEROES OF WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
new patients, Shukla said he makes it a priority to truly connect with his patients.
“I always try to make a connection with
my patients because, if I’m able to make that connection, whether it’s with a sports team that they like or a restaurant that they enjoy or some type of hobby they like, I feel like we can relate
“They just met me just a
few minutes ago, so it’s really important that I build a trust and a relationship with them so that when I give them advice or we have what’s called ‘shared decision making,’ we can come with a good plan together. That’s why I’ll always spend the extra minute j”ust to know them a little better.
much better, and they can trust me. They just met me just a few minutes ago, so it’s really important that I build a trust and a relationship with them so that when I give them advice or we have what’s called ‘shared decision making,’ we can come with a good plan together. That’s why I’ll always spend the extra minute just to know them a little better.”
Shukla currently works at all the hospitals in
the Baystate system — Baystate Medical Center, Baystate Wing, and Baystate Noble — and became chief of the ER at Noble in March 2020, just as the pandemic was reaching Western Mass.
In each setting, and especially at Noble, he has been consumed with not only treating patients and making those important connections, but improving the overall experience.
“We try to look at the entire process — from when a patient walks into the waiting room all the way to when they go home,” he explained, adding that little things, such as having a greeter in the
ER and having nurses, doctors, and other care providers working collaboratively so that patients don’t have to repeat their history and answer
the same questions over and over again, often add up to big improvements in service, patient- satisfaction ratings, and statistics such as those concerning walkouts.
“The most dreaded word that most people
see in emergency medicine is walkouts, which
is basically a person who registered but wasn’t actually seen,” Shukla said. “That’s a problem throughout the United States, so we work really hard in the Baystate Health system to bring those numbers down. Even one patient walking out troubles us.”
Meanwhile, throughout his career, and even more so during COVID, he has put considerable emphasis on outreach and educating the community, with the goal of helping people make better, smarter choices about their health and well-being.
Leah Martin Photography
Dr. Sundeep Shukla, seen here with his son, Deven, is one of the team physicians for the Springfield Thunderbirds, one of the many ways he is involved in the community.
Indeed, he’s a frequent guest on area radio
stations and has penned articles for several media outlets, all with the goal of creating a better-
informed community.
“If people are
Shukla
educated, they can
Continued on page 55
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