Patients are increasingly using the Internet to help them make decisions about healthcare and view physicians' ratings, leading many in the medical community conflicted about the validity of such reviews, according to KSL.com.
Here are six takeaways:
1. Baby boomer patients are more concerned about the rankings and receiving optimal care. According to Chrissy Daniels, the director of strategic initiatives at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, baby boomers are giving generally positive reviews.
2. Ms. Daniels said Gen X patients and millennials are often more distrustful of physicians and focus primarily on convenience as opposed to reviews.
3. Physicians often cite negative reviews as responsible for losing business, and many of the reviews were from patients who sought inappropriate treatments.
4. Often, patients who provide reviews are extremists and rate physicians as either a one or a five on the scale.
5. The Utah Medical Association plans to ask the American Medical Association to prohibit third-party payers from using patient satisfaction ratings to determine physician payment.
6. Since 2008, the University of Utah has experienced better mortality, safety and efficiency scores as well as reduced costs and malpractice premiums.
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