24 // THE NEW GASTROENTEROLOGIST SPRING 2017
PATIENT PERSPECTIVES
What Makes an Excellent
Gastroenterologist? IBD Patient Perspectives
The Patient Governance Committee for Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) Partners: Brian Price,
Susan M. Johnson, Jessica Burris, David Walter, Jennifer E. Dorand, and Nicholas Uzl
We are a group of six adult inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients who serve as the Patient Governance Committee for CCFA
Partners – a patient-powered research
network that assists IBD patients,
researchers, and health care provid-
ers to partner in finding the answers
to questions about patient care and
improving the health and lives of pa-
tients living with these conditions.
To find out more about us, please
visit our website at https://ccfa.med.
unc.edu/ or send an email to info@
ccfapartners.org.
The foundation of good quality of
care is the patient/physician relationship, and as patients we understand
that foundation must be based on mutual respect, trust, and communication.
There are a few themes that emerge
when thinking about these salient
qualities:
Open communication between
patient and physician
Perhaps the single most important
quality of a physician is a willingness to
listen. IBD patients often don’t feel like
they are being heard. Starting with a
conversation about the patient’s goals
2005;100:1357-61.
10. National Quality Measures Clearinghouse.
Available at https://www.qualitymeasures.ahrq.
gov/help-and-about/quality-measure-tutorials/
desirable-attributes-of-a-quality-measure. Accessed March 23, 2017.
11. McGlynn E.A. Med Care. 2003;41(1 Sup-
pl):139-47.
12. American Gastroenterological Association.
Available at https://www.gastro.org/practice/
quality-initiatives/IBD_Measures.pdf. Accessed
March 23, 2017.
13. Melmed G. Y., et al. Inflamm Bowel Dis.
2013;19:662-8.
14. Feuerstein J.D., et al. Clin Gastroenterol Hepa-
tol. 2016;14:421-8.
15. Sapir T., et al. Dig Dis Sci. 2016;61:1862-9.
16. Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America.
IBD Qorus. Available at http://www.ccfa.org/
science-and-professionals/ibdqorus/. Accessed
March 23, 2017.
17. Hou J.K., et al. Gastroenterology.
2015;148(Suppl 1):S-61.
18. Reddy K.R., et al. Gastroenterology.
2015;48:215-9.
19. American Gastroenterological Association.
Available at http://www.gastro.org/practice-man-
agement/measures/2016_AGA_Measures_-_IBD.
pdf. Accessed March 23, 2017.
20. American Gastroenterological Association.
Available at http://www.gastro.org/news_items/
gi-quality-measures-for-2017-are-released-in-ma-
cra-final-rule. Accessed March 23, 2017.
21. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Available at https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/
Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instru-
ments/PQRS/Downloads/2014_PQRS_Experi-
ence_Rpt.pdf. Accessed March 23, 2017.
22. Dahlhamer J.M., et al. MMWR. 2016;65:1166-9.
23. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and
Evaluation. Available at https://aspe.hhs.gov/sys-
tem/files/pdf/253406/ProjectSonarSonarMD.pdf.
Accessed March 23, 2017.
24. Meyer G.S., et al. BMJ Qual Saf. 2012;21:964-8.