Do You Check Online Doctor Ratings?

A new study has found that one in four consumers rely on online ratings when choosing a physician. The findings are based on a nationwide, survey of 2,137 people taken in late 2012.

A new study has found that one in four consumers rely on online ratings when choosing a physician. The findings are based on a nationwide, survey of 2,137 people taken in late 2012.

According to the study published in JAMA, a journal of the American Medical Association, 66 percent of people said that a physician’s rating is somewhat important in how they choose their doctor, 19 percent said it is a very important factor.

This is raising many concerns in the healthcare community because one bad review online can now lead to the loss of potential patients. Doctors are also questioning the reliability of these websites and the reviews. Physicians can overcome this by advising current patients to kindly write a review on a trustworthy sites, such as healthgrades.com, and vitals.com.

A good review won’t delete the negative review but it could provide potential patients with different information about the hospital or practice. Positive reviews will also create content for your profile and show you are still active within your specialty.