Doctor Review Sites Need Surgery, Stat!
When searching for a specialist today, I decided to check on how doctor review sites were looking these days. Social Networking has exploded since my last search, so I was sure there were some new gems out there that could help me find a winning physician.
Surprisingly, the online resources for patients eager to research their choices are very thin. Many sites, claiming to provide a robust database of doctor reviews ultimately barrage users with Google Ads or require payment to see any substantial data.
The site with the most potential was Vitals. With impressive tools to help with search results refinement, I was able to narrow down my choices fairly quickly using Vitals’ great UI. Vitals also has ratings for doctors’ affiliated hospitals–something the other sites did not feature. The biggest downfalls of Vitals are 1) its lack of patient reviews. 2) After 100 searches within a certain time period, you must pay 15 cents a pop. Disappointing, as those first free 100 searches go by fast if you’re on a mission.
Sadly, the site with the most robust database featured the worst usability and design….
RateMDs has enough patient reviews to help the user identify any red flags about certain doctors. However, I must have exited their site five times before finally checking them out. The site looks like it was designed by the intern. The logo is so distorted that I was sure it was a microsite or a temporary site that had been abandoned. Nope. RateMDs is one of the leading doctor review sites out there. For me, this was a case of content over design. But the site’s overabundance of cheesy ads, graphics and banners severely hurts their credibility.
DrScore stood out as a site that will likely be most accepted by the medical 3-15-2009 2-11-22 PM community–primarily because the questions presented to reviewers are specific and very thorough. Doctors like scientific data. Seeing as online reviews are typically more subjective that scientific, DrScore may strike the perfect balance. Once the site adds some additional refinement tools and a slicker interface, it could become a leader. One risk, however, is that the multiple-page list of required review questions may deter feedback as they could test the patients’ patience (next week, I’ll blog about about homophones!).
Finally, HealthGrades, while attractive, requires payment for any substantial information. That may be all well and good for a critically ill or terminally ill patient. But, for everyday searches, it just doesn’t cut it.
With the spotty number of reviews and site credibility, it’s no wonder the medical community is up in arms about such sites. In fact, some doctors are actually attempting to prevent patients from posting to doctor review sites. (News: Docs seek gag orders to stop patients’ reviews)
