Reviews Mixed on Docs’ Web Ratings
By Michael O’Connor, Omaha World-Herald, Neb.
Jun. 3–Patients for years have vented about rude doctors or long waits for appointments.
But patients increasingly aren’t just trading the information across the back fence or over the phone.
A growing number of Web sites are giving consumers a chance to rate doctors and share opinions.
Sites such as RateMDs.com and Vitals.com let people rate doctors on numbered scales on such measures as punctuality, bedside manner and quality of diagnosis. RateMDs.com, for example, has a five-point system, with five being the best.
Patients also can post anonymous comments. Most are positive, such as those for a Nebraska doctor that described him as caring, knowledgeable and reassuring.
Some are not-so-nice.
Comments for an Iowa doctor included: “Would never use this doctor again. Nearly killed me.” And a posting for one Nebraska physician warned: “Do Not See This Doctor!”
Consumer groups and patients say the sites, though not perfect, can provide additional help finding the best doctor. Some doctors and the American Medical Association, however, are concerned about fairness.
Dr. R. Samuel Bryant, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon in Lincoln, said it’s impossible to determine if comments are from real patients.
A posting from last year attached to a “Dr. Samuel Bryant” of Lincoln said that he performed a “horrible breast reduction” and that more than a year later, pain still occurred.
If the comment is from a patient, Bryant said he would be “disappointed that someone would choose to leave a negative comment rather than get the issue resolved.”
Bryant said that in his 20 years of medical practice, he has performed several thousand successful operations, and he hopes prospective patients wouldn’t judge him — or other doctors — based on an anonymous comment.
Even RateMDs.com advises users to take the ratings with “a grain of salt.” The site also says: “Remember, we have no way of knowing who is doing the rating — the doctor, other doctors, patients, dogs, cats, etc.”
Dr. David Filipi, an official with the Nebraska Medical Association, said family and friends are a better source for advice when picking a doctor.
“You believe your friends and family to tell the truth,” he said.
The American Medical Association says negative comments and ratings might be based on conditions out of a doctor’s control. A patient, for example, might be mad that a medical service was denied by an insurance company.
Mary Lee of Omaha said she hasn’t used one of the Web sites but would if she needed to change doctors or find a specialist.
Health care is too important and too expensive not to check any possible source for information on a physician, Lee said. “You have to be your own advocate when it comes to your health.”
John Swapceinski, co-founder of RateMDs.com, said he believes that most of the ratings and comments are from legitimate patients. He bases that opinion partly on feedback he gets from patients, who say the ratings for their doctors are on target.
Swapceinski said he regularly gets calls or letters from doctors or their lawyers threatening to sue. But he said no suits have been filed.
Federal law provides Web sites immunity from suits for comments posted by others, according to Mark Lemley, an expert on Internet law at Stanford Law School. But people posting comments could be sued for defamation, and the Web site could be subpoenaed to find out who they are.
Mitchel Rothschild, chief executive of Vitals.com, said his site is aimed at matching patients with the right physician. His site enables patients to assess doctors on such measures as volume of procedures, articles published in medical journals and malpractice proceedings.
The Web sites have limitations, but they can be useful, said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, a national consumer group based in Washington D.C. Details on whether appointments started late and whether the doctor took time to answer questions matter to patients, he said.
Steven Findlay of Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, said patients should look for reviews on the Web sites that give specific examples, such as how long it took the doctor to order an X-ray or whether the doctor made follow-up calls.
Findlay said patients shouldn’t rely on ratings alone but should also check such information as the doctor’s medical specialty and training, and any possible disciplinary action.
–Contact the writer: 444-1122, michael.oconnor@owh.com
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