Doctor Ratings: Changing The Healthcare Industry

For years, patients have felt as though they didn’t have as much say in the healthcare process as they would have liked. In recent years, with insurance companies doing more deciding for the patient than ever before, this trend appears to be getting only worse. But online doctor ratings are changing that in a lot of ways. Sites that display these reviews give a voice back to the people—a voice they have been missing for a long time. While not everyone may be thrilled about these sites, there can be no doubt that it will mean a shift in the healthcare industry.
If you’ve ever left a doctor’s appointment feeling as though you wanted to tell everyone in the world how terrible your experience was, doctor ratings sites may very well be for you. Millions of people have been in that very position, wishing they could scream their opinions from the mountaintops in hopes that it would make any difference. Well, now those opinions are gathered and aggregated for others to use when looking for their physician. Insurance companies still may have a lot to say about who we see and the limit of our choices, but you can bet that a slew of terrible reviews will make people think twice about visiting any physician.
So is this a good thing? Not everyone agrees on that point. Patients, of course, by and large don’t see anything wrong with it. After all, information is power and power is something patients have had far too little of in recent years. Doctor ratings sites give some of that power back to the consumer. Advocates say this is how it should be and wonder why choosing a physician should be any different than shopping for any other kind of service or product. After all, many people look at online reviews before they buy even a microwave. Shouldn’t they have the same opportunity to compare when it comes to their own healthcare?
No one is really saying that these patients shouldn’t have options and that they shouldn’t be able to access information. However, opponents of these sites wonder how much dishonesty is going on in the reviews and caution patients to use their best judgment when perusing the listings. Of course, that’s simply good advice for any endeavor when you’re talking about people online. With lots of information comes the need to develop skills to discern which information is worth paying attention to. Many patients have found much to pay attention to on these doctor ratings sites.