Dr. Monique Giroux, MD, Neurologist & Movement Disorder Specialist
Booth Gardner Parkinson's Care Center at
Evergreen Medical Center
Kirkland, WA

She has a "Wellness Center" website, hosted by the Northwest Parkinson's Foundation. You can sign up for monthly updates on living well with PD, and there is a lot of info already on the website. Her goal is to build a community around quality of life.

Hmm, I think this is actually a great start and I thank everyone for their contributions.

I looked into libel and patient review very casually, and it seems it's a grey legal area....there are whole websites dedicated to bad experiences with very particular doctors, but legal hassles are not out of the question.

I have gotten some good ideas from some of the references made already. But I do think it would be great to have a easy-to-access way to compile info on almost any doctor or neurologist - or chiropractor or physical therapist - we have had experience with, and be able to provide a bit more detail. Like someone may love their doctor, but we might want to ask: "Have you ever mentioned Mucuna to them and did they laugh in your face?" Or what areas or interests the particular provider is strong in, or what some specific turn-off was about a particular doctor.

As they say, people should have a right to lean over their back fence and swap experiential notes, but I grant that in cyberspace it's a tad more complicated. If we close it in and make it too personal in terms of info accessed (i.e., just by personal emails), then we can't make a wide enough data base to be meaningful. But I think this could be really, really helpful, if a workable and easy structure could be put in place to compile these listings.

Any of you web hounds have any ideas about how to do this practically?

Fiona,

I love you always get right to the essential questions or issue. Having a reference source for patient-tested neurologists is fantastic and we really should harness the power of the web to make it a dynamic list that never really has to look like it was compiled by Ms. Havisham. I would suggest a wiki format for maintaining preferred neurologists. It is literally something that patients could updated on their way home from the doctor's office. We really have come so far in being able to connect out here as PWP, but with social media the potential is there for so much more, and not many use it.

As for libel, I'm sure a disclaimer might be added, but I think if we make it as objective as possible with a rating scale or system- we could even borrow from existing "rate your doctor" sites and adapt or tweak to our needs. Wikis can also be set to private and/or writing parameters given out only to those selected by the administrators.

I will add a potential reference based on feedback of others and the website. I wanted to add University of Maryland Medical Center as a treatment center to explore further. They believe in treating the whole person, not just a set of symptoms. It is the only traditional treatment locale I have seen openly list and discuss herbals, vitamins, and alternative therapy through Feldenkrais or cranial sacral massage. My plan is to head there this summer for treatment consult and second opinion on DBS. I will most definitely report back with specifics on doctors.

Laura

Laura, if we're still here, we could give you a bed.

Fiona, a consensus to use Angie's List might work. No anonymous reviews there, but they're national and they follow up their information with phone calls if someone wants info on a specific doc.

Jaye

Lawrence Elmer, M.D., Ph.D.
The University of Toledo College of Medicine
Director, Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Program

I had a great neurologist when I lived in Pennsylvania!
Dr. Gabriel Tatarian
1015 Chestnut St.
Philadelphia, PA

He was the 7th neurologist I saw before I was diagnosed. Now I live in Florida and am not happy with the neurologist I have seen here. I hope it doesn't take 7 tries to find another good one.

I think all problems could be resolved by listing neuros under something like 'Our Best Rated'. Nothing to anyone's detriment. It's a great idea. Fiona, if you can please get in touch.

Lindy

Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions and recommendations. I checked out Angie's List, and it sounds ok, but because it costs money monthly to be a part of it, I think that would be a deterrent, although I get it that that allows a high quality of info. Also because I didn't join, I didn't get to check out the actual reviews. Also it seems to cover only the United States.

Our Best Rated - I couldn't find the specific site associated with that name.

Also - thanks everyone for listing your good docs - however, I would want to know about each of them, for starters, exactly why you liked them, or in what particular ways they are strong? Exceptional knowledge, unusual accessibility, works as part of a treatment team, will read and consider studies that you have found, believes in your possible improvement -etc. There are many, many possible qualities that could lead to a recommendation, and different ones of us are going to feel more attracted to some qualities, and others to others....