Doctor Rating Web Site Health Grades is a Time Magazine “Best 50” – How Trustworthy Is the Content??

HealthGrades has been rating doctors, dentists, and hospitals on five star scales for over ten years. Ratings include communication skills, time spent, trust, and office environment. There are also links to board sanctions.

This past August Time Magazine rated Health Grades as one of the 50 best Websites of 2011.

Recently there was a lively discussion on this topic at the medical librarian listserv (Medlib-L).
Among the responses…

• Two people noted contact information for their doctors was not correct
• “The self selection process creates a huge bias. The people who are angry and disappointed are the ones motivated to write.”
• “patient rating is 4.5 stars out of 5, but he’s only had 4 patients comment on him. In skimming through other doctors in Fargo, very few have more than 4 patient comments and everyone has between 4 and 5 stars.”
• “My doctor is in private solo practice and when you look at the lists by highlighted or popularity they are very institutionally presented. The independents come at the end of the list so this is not a fair representation”
• “the physician she replaced upon his retirement in April 2008 is still listed (with one review), although he has been gone for almost 4 years”

Although these comments do not compromise an in depth critique of Health Grades they do raise questions about its currency, contact information correctness, and basis of comparison (basically unsolicited input from patients). It would be wise to use Health Grades in conjunction with other sources of information to make good decisions on choosing or evaluating a doctor, dentist, or hospital.

Some additional sources of information

• Leapfrog Group Hospital Quality and Safety Survey  compares” hospitals’ performance on the national standards of safety, quality, and efficiency that are most relevant to consumers and purchasers of care”
• The CAHPS Hospital Survey  -Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, programs and information.
• Hospital Compare – A quality tool provided by Medicare
• Comparing Health Care Quality: A National Directory (Robert J. Woods Foundation) -Web-based resources to help them choose a doctor or hospital in their town based on whether patients received recommended tests and treatment, the outcomes of their care, their experience with providers, or the overall cost of care. Not comprehensive, geared mostly to large urban areas.
• Choosing a Doctor or Health Care Service (Medline Plus) includes numerous resources on  how to find a specific doctor and general guidelines
• State Medical Boards usually provide only the basics: contact information, specialties if any, and any formal actions

Related articles

• Patients’ Grades to Affect Hospitals’ Medicare Reimbursements (nytimes.com)
• Medicare launches ‘hospital compare’ (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Isn’t it time for a patient rating system for doctors? (kevinmd.com)
• HealthGrades to Merge with CPM Marketing – Will Their Data and Questionable Algorithms Will Be Improved For Consumers? (ducknetweb.blogspot.com)
• Social Media Physician Referrals – Whichdoc Recommends Doctors Using Facebook (TrendHunter.com) (trendhunter.com)
• Limits to the Active Health Care Consumer (josephineensign.wordpress.com)