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Top 6 Questions About Wednesday's Interactive Chat With Dr. Gillinov

By Adam Pick on February 2, 2010

On Wednesday, Dr. Marc Gillinov, one of the leading heart valve surgeons from The Cleveland Clinic, is going to host an exclusive, interactive chat with our community.

As we prepare for the hour-long event, which takes place from 2pm to 3pm (EST) today, I have received several, great questions from patients and caregivers that are going to participate in the chat. That said, I will use this blog to answer the six, most common questions filling my inbox.

Dr. Marc Gillinov, Cleveland Clinic Interactive Chat

QUESTION 1 - Can I still register for the event?

Answer: Yes, you can still register for the event. To register for the event, simply click this link and follow the instructions.

QUESTION 2 - Is the online chat free? Or, do I need to pay?

Answer: The event is completely free for everybody.

QUESTION 3 - What phone number do I need to call? Can I listen over the Internet?

Answer: Dr. Gillinov's will be chatting over the computer - in an instant message setting. So, there is no phone number or audio equipment required for this event. (Who knows... If the event goes well, maybe next time we can do a live conference call or maybe a video chat?)

QUESTION 4 - Do I need special software to participate in the online chat? How do I download the software?

Answer: To participate in the online chat, you must have JAVA installed on your computer. To test whether-or-not you have JAVA, simply click here. If you do not have JAVA installed on your computer, you can download the software by clicking here.

QUESTION 5 - When and how do I login to the interactive chat?

Answer: The Health Chat will open several hours prior to the 2pm (EST) start time. When you login to the event, please have your username and password handy. You created your username and password when you registered for the event.

VERY IMPORTANT: Click this link to login to the event 10-15 minutes before 2pm (EST) on Wednesday. You will see an orange "Join" button at the bottom of the screen. Simply click that button (shown below) and enter your username and password.

Once you are logged in, you will automatically be redirected into the interactive chat screen. Here is a picture of the chat screen.

QUESTION 6 - Will a transcript of the chat be available if I can not attend the actual event?

Answer: Yes, we will be posting a free transcript 2-3 weeks following the online chat with Dr. Gillinov.

Please also note, however, due to the great interest in this chat, they may not be able to get to every question. That said, we may need to schedule another chat in the near future.

I hope that helps! I realize it is a tad confusing. However, I think this is a great opportunity to learn more about heart valve surgery from one of the best heart surgeons on the planet.

Keep on tickin!
Adam

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Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder

Adam Pick is a heart valve patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. This award-winning website has helped over 10 million people fight heart valve disease. Adam has been featured by the American Heart Association and Medical News Today.

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