| Sites that offer free doctor ratings often put banner | | | | •Education |
| ads or Google Adsense ads, both of which are paid | | | | •Professional Reputation/Recognition |
| by advertisers, on their sites to bring in revenue. | | | | •Awards |
| Therefore, they are able to maintain these sites with | | | | •Disciplinary History |
| limited daily operations. | | | | •Experience with Specialty |
| With so many new sites offering free anonymous | | | | •Community Involvement |
| doctor ratings and information about physicians’ | | | | •Board Certification(s) |
| credentials, consumers expect to be able to find out | | | | •Malpractice Judgment(s) |
| everything about their doctors. However, because | | | | •Publications |
| anybody can sign up and add positive or negative | | | | •Professional Affiliations |
| feedback regarding their experience with a particular | | | | The average patient cares little about the doctor’s |
| physician, no patient potential patients should take | | | | license number, expiration date, degree dates, and |
| these ratings seriously. While they may be helpful, | | | | training dates; however, the database from which this |
| these ratings can easily be manipulated by a patient, | | | | kind of information comes is much more reliable, |
| doctor, hospital staff, or anybody online; the reality is | | | | updated, relevant, and detailed as it relates to a |
| that, no matter hood good, how bad, or how renowned | | | | physician’s credential, history, and background. |
| the physician is, every physician will have some | | | | Dates that are associated with a doctor’s |
| negative information, since it’s virtually impossible to | | | | professional history are important because they tie into |
| satisfy everyone. Whether the ratings on a site are for | | | | the experience factor and are much harder to obtain |
| professionals, products, or service companies, there will | | | | and transfer into a proprietary system, such as a |
| be negative information. Even the Goliath Google, | | | | commercial doctor rating site. |
| which is by far the most successful search engine in | | | | The Future in Comprehensive Physician Ratings |
| the world and, one of the most successful companies | | | | How It Will Work |
| in the world, has an unsatisfactory record with the | | | | 1.Software collects and scours data about physician(s), |
| Better Business Bureau. | | | | their profiles and histories using an in-house string of |
| A Doctors Reputation | | | | doctor credential information databases. |
| Some doctors have begun having their patients sign | | | | 2.The data is analyzed and compared to data for all |
| contracts designed to "respect their physician’s | | | | other specialists in the specified field. |
| privacy on the Internet" by agreeing not to participate in | | | | 3.Physicians’ profiles are matched and compared |
| online ratings of doctors. While it’s common | | | | within the specialty field, using a combination of a |
| practice for patients to sign a contract regarding | | | | customized doctor rating scoring system and other |
| frivolous malpractice lawsuits before they have | | | | methodologies. |
| surgery, these "Internet privacy" contracts are | | | | 4.The software uses innovative algorithms to calculate |
| becoming more common because of the ease with | | | | each part of a physician’s profile. |
| which ratings can be manipulated anonymously. | | | | 5.The system combines the doctor's overall ratings |
| A Better Way | | | | with the requested background report. |
| Although the objective factors listed below may not | | | | In a perfect world, doctor ratings would be |
| mean much to the average patient, when each | | | | unnecessary; however, every physician is unique in his |
| category is factored into the total equation, the | | | | or her own area of expertise/special interest, and |
| resulting rating is much more relevant and precise than | | | | having tools to find the right physician – by word of |
| anonymous ratings. | | | | mouth, reliable doctor ratings services, or referrals – |
| •Academic Appointments | | | | will result in an informed patient, which is the best kind |
| •Hospital Appointments | | | | of patient there is. |