RateMDs.com collects patient ratings on more than 16,500 doctors in the U.S. and the database is growing daily. The "Overall Quality" of a doctor is rated on a scale from 1 to 5.According to the website director of public relations: "doctors are often unhappy with what we are doing, but patients approve almost unanimously, as evidenced by the steadily increasing website traffic by 10% per month"
RateMDs.com, which bills itself as the Internet's largest free listing of physician ratings, was founded in March 2004.
Using RateMDs.com is free, the website owners make money from the AdSense ads at the top of the page.
MSSP Nexus Blog also writes about RateMDs.com:
"The potential for abuse is obvious given that posters may remain anonymous.
I looked up a couple of different physicians I know, one rated positively one negatively; and I have to say that the comments accurately reflected my personal views and experience.
This site, or others like it that follow, will no doubt begin to be checked as part of a routine credentialing process, so the implications to healthcare providers are considerable."
RateMDs.com gets 1 million visitors per month, and has been growing at 50-100% each year since it was started in 2004.
If a doctor ends up with a total of 25 or more ratings — which is considered "suspicious activity" on the site — users who want to rate that doctor are forced to log in.
Comments from Twitter:
@DrVes: Only 12% of adults have "consulted" online rankings or reviews of physicians http://goo.gl/4binq
@vara411 (Dan Ramirez): They're too fragmented and many require "pay to play." But Google Places and CitySearch have growing collections of reviews.
@DrVes: When you "google" the majority of doctors the first few results are review sites - not their practice site, etc. Not optimal.
@DrVes: When you "google" the majority of doctors the first few results are review sites - not their practice site, etc. Not optimal.
@vara411 (Dan Ramirez): Agreed. Though I'm not sure safeguards are in place to protect physicians from slander.
References:
When the Doctor Is in, but You Wish He Weren't - NYTimes
Analysis of 4,999 Online Physician Ratings: most patients gave positive reviews (2011 study) http://goo.gl/LgG5L - It begs the question: couldn't researchers add 1 more for a round number 5,000?
Sites Offering Data, Reviews of Doctors - WSJ
RateMDs.com Receives its 10,000th Doctor Rating - emediawire.com
Doctor rating with an attitude. Notes from Dr. RW.
As Angry Patients Vent Online, Doctors Sue to Silence Them - WSJ.
Googling Ourselves — What Physicians Can Learn from Online Rating Sites. NEJM, 2010.
Is That Review a Fake? Cornell University develops algorithm that finds deceptive hotel/product online reviews http://goo.gl/9mdCD
"If a patient bashes a physician on rating websites there is little that doctor can do", says Medscape, 2012.
Image source: RateMDs.com.
"If a patient bashes a physician on rating websites there is little that doctor can do", says Medscape, 2012.
Image source: RateMDs.com.
Also checkout http://www.healthia.com/doctor/. Very similar to ratemds but lots more doctors. It even has rss feeds. You can subscribe to a feed for a given doctors or for all the reviews. Also the user interface is less cluttered and easy on the eyes. The google mashup is also pretty neat.
ReplyDeleteAlso check out DoctorRate.com at http://www.doctorrate.com/
ReplyDeleteFor optimal results and if you really want relevant solid information I would visit www.mdnationwide.org. I did, and the results when compared to healthia , healthgrades, ratemds, and choicetruct, were well worth the money I spent. Not to mentioned they are experts, try it:)
ReplyDeleteAlso try www.vimo.com
ReplyDeleteA pseudo-similar site is
ReplyDeletehttp://www.iratemds.com
-but it is more futuristic.
Here's the latest rate a doctor site to come up. These guys invested huge money to be the best.
ReplyDeleteHere is copy of their press release.
Vitals was created to give consumers the tools to make intelligent, informed decisions about which doctor to choose. Vitals is committed to providing the most thorough information available on doctors. It is our mission to arm consumers with the information they need to make the best healthcare choice possible. By putting our link on your site, you will enable consumers to access as much objective data as is available on a doctor. This will help the consumer find the doctor that best meets their healthcare needs. Having our link on your website will also enhance any information you are providing to consumers who go to your site to find answers to their healthcare needs.
Vitals also offers consumers a place to both share their thoughts on a doctor and assess other patients' ratings and reviews of a doctor. In addition, physicians, will soon be able to keep track of what others (colleagues and patients) are saying about them, let consumers know about their work, and make sure their profile is complete and accurate."
Canadian ONLY Doctor Ratings
ReplyDeletewww.RateMyMD.ca
sure are alot of crazy people on the site!?
ReplyDeleteAnother doctor rating site is the one I started: www.DrScore.com. The goal of DrScore isn't just to put ratings on the web-- it is also to help doctors get detailed feedback from their patients so that the doctor can achieve their ultimate goal: giving patients the best possible medical care.
ReplyDelete