An Unbiased Look at Biased Doctor Reviews

Photo Credit: mediaite.com

Recently Rob Lieber at the The New York Times took an in-depth look at reputation management for doctors and why it will be a contentious issue for the foreseeable future. As stands it is difficult to find accurate doctor review information online. Other business sectors have settled into trustworthy ratings from reputable sources. So, why is the medical community having such difficulty shedding biased reviews. The NYT article highlights some of the many factors that come into play:

• Unhappy patients are more likely to leave a detailed review
• Patients refrain from posting out of (legitimate) fear that they will be sued
• Certain patients refrain from posting negative reviews because of ties they share with their physician in their small community
• There is a demographic that believes doctors are essentially mistake free (an unhealthy view no matter how gratifying from the physicians perspective)

The sum total of this information suggests that unbiased reviews are more the exception that the rule. This may change over time, but until the medical sector settles into trustworthiness the way other sectors have it makes sense to have a professional team managing this issue as it evolves. Let the medical social media professionals manage your online reputation so you can continue to hone your in-office reputation one patient at a time.