Join us December 18 at 2:00PM EST for part II of a live, interactive tweetchat with Linda Girgis, MD, on how health insurance companies are harming patients, based on her recent blog post on the topic. Points to be discussed are subject to change but will likely include:

  • Whether or not health insurance companies should make their decision-making processes transparent, and whether they should do the same with their profits and expenditures.
  • Who is best served by health insurance companies.
  • Participants’ stories of patients who were harmed by a health insurance company decision.
  • Whether or not the health insurance industry needs reform and why.
  • Whether or not single payer healthcare is a viable option for reform.
  • More…

Part I of the chat, recapped here, covered:

  • Whether or not insurance companies seem to be concerned with helping patients obtain the best care.
  • Actions taken or policies made by health insurance companies that are potentially harmful to patients.
  • Whether prior authorizations are good or bad.
  • Whether or not health insurance company guidelines seem to be based on evidence-based medicine.
  • If keeping patient costs down is important and whether keeping costs down aligns with health insurance companies’ way of doing business.

How to Join the Chat

  1. Log into your Twitter account. Don’t have an account? Where have you been?! Just kidding, we don’t judge, but you should get one! It’s easy to create, and free. You’ll be glad you did.
  2. A couple minutes before the chat, Search Twitter (top right of every Twitter page) for #PWChat.
  3. On the search results page, click Latest at the top left. This will show you all the latest tweets using the #PWChat hashtag. The page will automatically update every couple minutes, letting you know how many new tweets there are using the #PWChat hashtag.
  4. Answer questions, reply to other’s comments, or make a comment of your own as much and as often as you like. Just make sure to leave room in include #PWChat to make sure what you tweet is included in the chat. Otherwise, it won’t be seen.
  5. While you’re at it, be sure to follow @physicianswkly and @DrLindaMD!


About Dr. Girgis

Dr. Linda Girgis MD, FAAFP is a family physician who treats patients in South River, New Jersey and its surrounding communities. She holds board certification from the American Board of Family Medicine and is affiliated with both St. Peter’s University Hospital and Raritan Bay Hospital. Dr. Girgis also collaborates closely with several universities and medical schools where she teaches medical students and residents.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Dr. Girgis attended the St. George’s University School of Medicine and successfully her medical degree. She went on to complete her internship and residency at Sacred Heart Hospital, a program affiliated with Temple University. During this time, she was recognized as intern of the year by the faculty. Over the course of her practice, Dr. Girgis has continued to earn awards and recognition from her peers and a variety of industry bodies, including:

• Top Innovator in Healthcare award by Quality Insights, 2006
• Patients’ Choice Award, 2011-2012
• Compassionate Doctor Recognition, 2011-2012
• Bridges to Excellence Recognition 2012-2015
• NCQA Physician Practice Connections – Patient Centered Medical Home, 2012-2015

She is an Advisory Board member for Sermo. Additionally, she is a blogger for Physician’s Weekly and MedicalPractice Insider as well as a guest columnist for Medcity News and Health IT Outcomes. She published articles in several other media outlets. Recently, she has authored the books, “Inside Our Broken Healthcare System” and “The War on Doctors”. She has been interviewed in US News, on NBC Nightly News, and many other media outlets. Dr. Girgis’ primary goal as a physician remains ensuring that each of her patients receives the highest available standard of medical care.

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