These days, there aren’t many things you can’t shop for online. But a doctor? Yes, you can even find a good doctor online—if you know what information is trustworthy (and what might not be). The appeal of sites such as HealthGrades.com, RateMDs.com and Vitals.com is that they offer the kind of firsthand feedback that we used to get only from family, friends or neighbors sharing stories over the back fence. How’s a doctor’s bedside manner? Is it tough to get an appointment? The problem is, even though these sites provide some good information, they do have their limits. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of using such websites…
PRO: The basics are all in one place. Most doctor-rating sites give helpful biographical information, such as the doctor’s age…where he/she went to school…if he is board-certified in a particular specialty…and how long he’s been in practice. In fact, these sites are the best resources to find all of this biographical information in one place for most licensed doctors in every state. Some sites also list the hospitals where the doctor has admitting privileges or is employed. Excellent feature: Most doctor-rating sites let you search doctors by specialty anywhere in the US. This is a great service if you’re looking for a doctor for a family member in another locale.
CON: High ratings don’t always mean good medical care. While the actual reviews provided by patients give some telling details about a doctor’s willingness to answer questions and other aspects of his patient care, remember these are only opinions. A patient may write a negative review simply because a doctor wouldn’t prescribe an antibiotic for a cold or held off on ordering an MRI in favor of another test. Meanwhile, a good review might have been submitted by a practitioner’s relative or friend (even though some sites have systems to screen phony reviews). That’s why I advise trying to find multiple reviews of a doctor (which may mean checking more than one site) in case the feedback is skewed for one of these reasons. But you must realize that these sites don’t review a doctor’s medical competence. In fact, studies show that patients tend to give higher ratings to doctors who prescribe more drugs and tests and run up more costs.
To find out about a physician’s skill level: You need to consult resources beyond doctor-rating websites. If you are looking for a skilled orthopedic surgeon, for example, go to US News & World Report’s well-respected hospital ratings (USNews.com/best-hospitals) to find the best hospital in your region that is known for its orthopedic department. Check that hospital’s website to review its roster of doctors. You can even check the rosters of nationally ranked hospitals outside your region and call one of the top doctors there. It’s been my experience that those doctors often can refer patients to highly skilled doctors in other locales. In addition, many states, such as California, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas, have their own physician outcome data for certain procedures and make it available to the public. Contact your state’s Health Department for information. Medicare also has information on physician outcomes on its website. Go to Medicare.gov/physiciancompare.
