subject: Online Md Reviews - What You Should Know [print this page] Like anything else where people's opinions play into the situation, online MD reviews are bound to be a source of controversy. Some people see them as the best thing to come along since the advent of medical school. Others-many of them doctors-see the sites as a bad thing. Where is the truth? As with most issues of this sort, it's probably somewhere in the middle. Both sides certainly have valid arguments, leaving it up to the consumer and of course the free speech laws in the country to see where it all comes out.
Before online MD reviews were available, people went to their friends and family to seek out advice on what doctor they should visit. That was if they bothered to do any preliminary research at all. What's interesting is that many people didn't. They might read the movie critics when new films came out every Friday or look at the opinions under a product they were thinking of buying from Wal-Mart, but they would simply trust that whatever doctor they chose would be good enough. Today, far fewer people are taking that approach.
The great thing about online MD reviews is that it puts the power in the hands of the patient. If a patient has a horrible experience with a plastic surgeon, they can tell the world. Anyone else browsing the ratings will see that write-up and might think twice before making an appointment at that particular office. On the other hand, if the patient is satisfied, they can go online and make that satisfaction known as well.
So what's the problem? Doctors say that people are much more likely to go online and post when they feel they've been wronged than otherwise. This gives the public a skewed view of reality. Another argument they use is that patients will write up bad opinions because of something that shouldn't be held against the doctor. For instance, say a prescription drug addict wants a refill on their prescription of vicodin long before it's due. The doctor can-and should-refuse them, but now the patient can go online and rant against the physician, perhaps never mentioning the real motivations behind his opinions.
Doctors are fighting a similar battle against health insurance companies, who want to place network physicians in tiers based on ratings they assign for various reasons. Many of these reasons having little to do with good medical care. Nevertheless, it appears that online ratings and reviews are here to stay. As long as a consumer reads them with an open mind, they should provide a good service for a much more informed clientele.
by: Abigail Aaronson
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