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