Physician Reviews: How Quantity Means Quality

As expected, when physician reviews first came online, there were more than a few doctors who were opposed to the idea. In fact, many of these holdouts still exist, sadly reminiscent of anyone who tries to stand in the way of marching technology and change. It is a bullet train, with the people at large deciding what they want and what they wish to discard. Those who stand in the way are predictably run over, as is the case here. But those doctors who are hip to the change have noticed something interesting. That is, the more reviews a doctor has, the higher their rating is likely to be. What is the reason for this phenomenon?

Recent surveys have shown that, by and large, those doctors with more online physician reviews tend to score higher on average than those who only have a few. While this may sound strange to begin with, a little thought easily explains the phenomenon. The fact is that few people, in general, find themselves motivated to go online and write a review. This is not only true for doctors, but for products and services across the spectrum. If someone is satisfied with their experience, they go about their day and don’t think about it again. If, on the other hand, someone feels jilted, they can’t wait to go online and rant about it. It gives them a feeling of power. Therefore, it only makes sense that if a doctor only has two or three ratings, they are probably going to be negative.

If, on the other hand, a doctor expressly encourages his or her patients to go write online physician reviews after their appointment, the numbers start to skew in their favor. There’s nothing morally wrong with this. The doctor doesn’t have to encourage the patient to lie and give them a good write-up if they don’t deserve it. He is just letting his patients know they have an outlet for their opinions. As a matter of fact, any doctor who feels confident about their office and about the quality of care they offer their patients should be more than happy to tell them about online ratings sites and how they can participate in the process.

There will always be those doctors who try to fight change to the bitter end. Unfortunately for them, they are missing out on a grand opportunity. Nothing speaks louder than word of mouth advertising. That is, essentially, what these online physician reviews provide. Certainly, even the best doctor in the world will be subject to a few bad ratings. But if the overwhelming majority of their patients give them positive marks, it will all even out in the long run.