Patients rate Walter Reed providers high

Story by Bernard Little

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Four Walter Reed doctors and a specialty care clinic are listed among the Military Health System’s (MHS) Joint Outpatient Experience Survey (JOES) Best of the Best in its first quarter of fiscal year 2024 report (October to December 2023) recently released by MHS officials.

To enhance the patient experience, the MHS asks beneficiaries to rate their care and patient experience, and responses are reported quarterly and annually in the JOES Best of the Best reports containing the top-performing clinics, providers, clerks, and receptionists, each broken out by primary care and specialty care.

The MHS identified the following Walter Reed providers as the Best of the Best for the first quarter of fiscal year 2024: U.S. Navy Capt. (Dr.) William Shimeall (Executive Medicine), U.S. Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Gregory Chesnut (Urology), U.S. Army Maj. (Dr.) Kevin Broderick (Ophthalmology) and Dr. Margretta Diemer (Internal Medicine). Also, the MHS recognized Walter Reed’s Psychiatry Clinic as a Best of the Best Specialty Care Clinic for the first quarter of FY 2024.

Chesnut and Broderick are listed among the specialty care providers with 100 percent satisfaction, and Shimeall and Diemer are listed among the primary care providers with 100 percent satisfaction.

“The 100 percent satisfaction reports are updated quarterly and list all the clinics, providers, and clerks and receptionists that received at least 10 responses with 100 percent satisfaction,” stated Dr. Kimberley Marshall-Aiyelawo, chief of the Patient Experience Measurement Analytics and Evaluation Division at the Defense Health Agency (DHA).

‘Very knowledgeable, always professional’

This is the second consecutive quarter Diemer, a retired U.S. Army Medical Corps officer, has been recognized as one of the Best of the Best. She works in the Internal Medicine Clinic at Walter Reed, serving as a PCMH provider and on the core faculty of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) Internal Medicine Residency Program.

She worked at the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) before coming to Bethesda in 2011 when WRAMC integrated with the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) to form WRNMMC.

In addition to providing primary care to patients, Diemer supervises Internal Medicine residents “to provide excellent primary care,” she said. “I am part of a multi-disciplinary team which plans and teaches a weekly evidence-based medicine curriculum to WRNMMC Internal Medicine residents.”

Diemer shared that she became interested in becoming a doctor as a teenager after seeing an infectious disease physician enjoying his career when she babysat for his family.

Some of Diemer’s patients stated about her: “I am very fortunate to have Dr. Diemer as my PCM for over 20 years.” “I trust Dr. Diemer.” “Very knowledgeable, always professional.” “Very thorough and efficient, and willing to work together to determine a treatment plan we both agree with.” “Excellent provider.” “Love Dr. Diemer and the compassion she displays for patients and families.”

Executive Medicine Service Chief

Shimeall is the service chief of Executive Medicine and billeted at Walter Reed as a Navy staff internist.

“I started my current tour here in July 2020, but began on this campus as an internal medicine intern in 1994 at the then NNMC, and I have served a large majority of my 30-year career caring for patients at NNMC, WRAMC, or WRNMMC,” Shimeall explained.

As service chief of Executive Medicine, he provides primary care and/or coordinate specialty care for enrolled Executive Medicine patients, who include active duty and retired general/flag officers and their dependents, NATO and other foreign general/flag officers and their dependents when assigned diplomatic posts in Washington, D.C., recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, members of Congress, justices of the Supreme Court, and Senior Executive Service members who are retired military.

“I also teach medical students from the Uniformed Services University (USU) in our clinic and work with residents and students to care for hospitalized patients on the medicine wards several times a year,” he added.

A native of Emporia, Kansas who grew up in Milford, Nebraska, Shimeall said he was inspired to pursue medicine as a college student in Chicago, where he also attended medical school.

“I started working as a college student as an orderly in a level 1 trauma center on the south side of Chicago, and despite being a history/philosophy major, I decided to also take the premedical course requirements based on the mentors and role models who I observed and interacted with in emergency care. I applied to medical school as well as for the Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program and I realized in medical school that I wanted to work longitudinally with patients to promote health and prevent disease progression and need for emergency care, and I focused on internal medicine as my specialty career,” Shimeall explained.

He added that what he finds most rewarding about what he does is developing “many long-term relationships with countless patients, trainees, staff and colleagues.”

“Patient care is a partnership and an exchange, and it starts by listening and being both present and respectful,” Shimeall shared. “Once I attempt to do this and assemble a recommended plan for further diagnostic or treatment, I try to treat every patient interaction as I would briefing a superior officer. I try to be both accurate and succinct so that each can be fully informed in their decision-making process. To quote a guiding mentor, retired Army Col. (Dr.) Louis Pangaro, ‘I strive to embrace complexity but act with simplicity. Like with a senior officer, I cannot dictate care to any patient, but can leverage available evidence filtered with their goals and work to influence them (without authority) to arrive at a shared goal and course of action,’” Shimeall explained.

Some of Shimeall’s patients stated about him: “[He] has continued to be an excellent care provider to me for a number of years. He is patience, thoughtful and personable.” “Dr. Shimeall is very professional and uses his team to maximize care and efficiency.” “Excellent.” “Dr. Shimeall fue muy professional, paciente y amable en su trato.” “A plus, plus, plus, plus service from Capt. Shimeall.” “Capt. Shimeall listens to every concern, request or feeling. He is kind, thorough, patient and truly a healer versus a mere medical technician. He cares!”

‘A professional, caring person’

Chesnut is director of the Center for Prostate Disease Research (CPDR), director of Urologic Oncology for WRNMMC, and associate professor of surgery at USU.

“I am a urologist who sub-specializes in the treatment of urologic cancers, including prostate cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, testis cancers, and adrenal cancers. A big part of my job is leading the Department of Defense’s only Prostate Cancer Center of Excellence, the CPDR, where our teams conduct basic science and translational research and clinical trials to better understand and treat the most common noncutaneous cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among American men – prostate cancer,” he explained.

The Augusta, Georgia native said he has been inspired by the field of urology because “it offers the opportunity to engage with patients about sensitive health issues, and to offer meaningful surgical and medical treatments that can provide immediate solutions to problems not easily talked about.”

“Subspecializing in the treatment of urologic cancers, I can develop long-term relationships with patients and their families and work within our strong multidisciplinary treatment team to offer the best treatments available anywhere in the world to achieve a cancer cure while minimizing the treatment-related or cancer-related effects on their quality of life,” Chesnut added. “I get to work with a world-class team of clinicians, scientists, pathologists, radiologists, and medical/radiation oncologists to help build holistic and comprehensive tiers of treatment – and that is truly exciting.”

“Thankfully, I have had the privilege of being inspired by and to learn from many legends in our field, beginning with the late Army Col. (Dr.) David McLeod, whose foresight in creating the CPDR has transformed the cancer care available not just here at Walter Reed, but around the world, through his multidisciplinary cancer team model,” said Chesnut.

“I simply could not imagine a more meaningful and rewarding job than to be a urologic oncologist. I commonly meet patients and their families on one of the worst days of their lives – the day they learn about a cancer diagnosis. It is a privilege for me to devote my energies and hard-earned talents towards diagnosing and treating patients with urologic cancers and to be part of a research enterprise that strives night and day to grow our understanding of cancer and how to better treat it,” Chesnut continued.

“Our lives are all so busy and going to the doctors can be challenging. Getting time away from work, battling traffic and parking, and even scheduling an appointment is not easy – but to add the anxiety of a cancer diagnosis or the discomfort of a treatment to this can be overwhelming. Added to that, sometimes in a surgically based specialty, I can be called away unexpectedly which can lead to delays. I hope to honor the patients who choose to have their care with us by giving my very best to them and their treatment. I really do have a deep respect for my patients, for the complicated disease that is cancer, and for the physical and emotional turmoil that a cancer diagnosis can have on an entire family. I hope that our patients can feel that commitment and connection with every encounter,” the physician also shared.

Chesnut’s patients said about him: “Considering the news that Dr. Chesnut had to give me, he did so in such a way that kept me calm so that I could understand all that he was saying.” “I appreciate the honest and candid consult, understood the care needed and next steps in the treatment process.” “A professional and caring person.” “Excellent care as always.” “I trust Dr. Chesnut’s advice and care plan. I am glad that he is on my care team, helping manage my evolving health condition.” “He cares. Amazing doctor. Great competence. Always very well-prepared on my particular details.” “One of the best doctors who has ever treated me.” “An amazing doctor. Patience, listens well, takes time to provide holistic care. I’m very glad to have access to him.”

‘Excellent medical provider in every respect’

Broderick is chief of vitreoretinal surgery in the Department of Ophthalmology at Walter Reed. He did his residency at Walter Reed from 2013 to 2015, and he has been on staff here since 2020.

A native of Columbia, Maryland, Broderick cares for medical and surgical diseases of the retina and vitreous for MHS beneficiaries at Walter Reed. He explained that he was inspired to pursue the specialty after his suffered a significant ocular injury in college.

“That made me greatly appreciate both the value and fragility of sight, so I wanted to spend my career helping those who faced the same fears that I had once – the fear of losing sight,” he said.

“The continuity of care established with many of my patients who I’ve been treating for years with various retinal disorders, as well as the unique complexity of vitreoretinal surgery is what I find most rewarding about what I do,” Broderick continued.

“I always think back to my experience with my ocular injury and how important vision is to my patients. I always try to ensure that I spend time listening to the patients’ concerns so that I can best address them,” he added.

Some of Broderick’s patients shared the following about him: “Dr. Broderick’s appointments are always complete and comprehensive. I always finish the appointment with a full understanding of my care plan.”
“An excellent medical provider in every respect.” “Dr. Broderick’s care for his patients is evident.” “Dr. Broderick is a great doctor!” “Maj. Broderick is courteous, competent and knowledgeable. I feel I received excellent care during this visit.” “Maj. Broderick is very professional and treated me with dignity.” “Dr. Broderick is everything you want in a health care provider – knowledgeable, competent, caring and a good listener. I’m fortunate to have him for my care.”