Join us Wednesday, December 13 at 3:00pm ET for PART II of our live, interactive tweetchat with Linda Girgis, MD, based on her blog post on why doctors are losing the public’s trust. Joining us as a co-host is long-time #PWChat participant Lisa Davis Budzinski, who will offer the patient perspective to the chat. Topics to be discussed are subject to change but will likely include:
- How Dr. Girgis & Lisa would respond to the following comments on Dr. Girgis’s original blog post:
- “The main reason the public has lost trust in doctors is how they ignore serious symptoms and tell people it’s in their head and nothing is wrong with them”
- “Pill pushers are what most of you are and I sincerely hope that your days are numbered!”
- “Very often patients are more informed than the doctors they go to see.”
- “I can’t find a regular medical doctor. They are so busy trying to push you threw their office but they are sure quick to collect the money.”
- “Don’t trust [doctors] and we should not be forced by our government to do business with them through healthcare tax laws.”
- What physicians can do, both on an individual basis and on a community- or even nation-wide basis, to help re-establish trust in the public.
- More…
Topics covered in Part I of the chat included:
- What makes trust between patients and physicians so important that Dr. Girgis would say there is no relationship where the bond of trust should be so strong, outside of matrimony.
- How third parties have contributed to the erosion in the patient-physician relationship in recent years.
- How outlier doctors who game the system have contributed to doctors no longer being held is such high esteem as they were decades ago.
- How mandates, such as meaningful use and MACRA, have led to patients feeling their doctors are no longer listening to them.
- How HMO cuts in reimbursements to doctors have contributed to patients feeling doctors are pushing them through for profit and don’t care about them.
- How the media’s portrayal of doctors has contributed to the erosion of the patient-physician relationship.
How to Join PART II of the Chat
- 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.
- A couple minutes before 3:00pm ET on December 13, Search Twitter (top right of every Twitter page) for #PWChat.
- 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.
- 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.
- While you’re at it, be sure to follow @physicianswkly, @lisadbudzinksi, 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.
About Lisa
Lisa lives with Central Pain Syndrome & autoimmune diseases, has 30 years of Medical & Legal Research under her belt, is a BMJ reviewer, works as a patient perspective consultant, is an author, and is the co-founder of centralnervepaincenter.com.
