December 10th, 2007
How should doctors be rated?
The Web is filled with pages claiming to rate doctors.
Healthgrades says it’s independent. It sells reports based on publicly-available information like disciplinary actions and board certifications.
MDNationwide sells reports that look like patient charts (right). Drscore and DoctorScorecard want you to do the rating. Book of Doctors takes listings and puts them together with patient reviews. Even Zagat’s is getting into the act. (Oy vey.)
Insurers are fighting to get into the act, but their ratings may be just as subjective as anyone else’s, tinged by their desire to keep costs down.
Fact is this is inherently subjective, and the criteria aren’t clear. In fact, the criteria can conflict. The doctor offering “high-quality” care may also be offering the most expensive care.
Personally I place a high value on personal care. My pediatrician is aces with me because he talks to me about my kids. Same with my internist. Of course my own opinion is colored by the fact my health is good, as is that of my family (knock on wood).
At the moment you need a good specialist, an “impartial” rating is bound to mean less than the recommendation of your trusted G.P. or a family member.
Bob Wachter of the Health Care Blog insists online ratings will come whether you like it or not. “The people have spoken, and the people have an uncanny way of getting what they want,” he writes.
But does it lead to better care? So have you ever used ratings? Have you been rated? What does your experience tell you?
Dana Blankenhorn has been a business journalist since 1978, and has covered technology since 1982. He launched the Interactive Age Daily, the first daily coverage of the Internet to launch with a magazine, in September 1994. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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| 12/11/07
