Before Medical Ratings Were Available

Medical ratings weren’t always available to the consumer. Here’s what it was like before this plethora of information appeared online.

Medical ratings are now available with the click of a computer mouse and keyboard to nearly every individual on the planet. Even those who cannot read are likely to have a family member who can translate the information for them. Who and where a patient chooses for their health care provider, facility, or nursing home is of the utmost importance. Before this knowledge base was made viewable and available to the public, it was catch-as-catch-can. In other words, it was pretty much luck-of-the-draw. The doctor or facility holding human life in their hands should not be chosen by luck. These decisions can mean the difference between health and sickness, life and death. Here are some things to think about.

Doctors: Before medical ratings systems were available en masse to the public, most people went to doctors who were either close by, were recommended by their family members, or whose names started with the letter “A” and were first found in the phone book. Another way selection often occurred was by flashy ads in the phone book. Yellow pages with nice artful layouts about an MD drew lots of patients to the practice.

Unfortunately, this is not a very wise way to choose important healthcare practitioners. If a person ends up at a physician’s office that isn’t a good fit, it can be a devastating experience, physically and psychologically. A doctor who is insensitive may cause patients to clam up and not tell intimate bodily problems that are occurring. Or a headstrong provider may not hear what the individuals are trying to say. Missed details are missed clues on the diagnoses trail. This can result in worsening symptoms, prolonged suffering, and in the worst-case scenarios, even death. If a medical provider is incompetent, the rest of his or her patients may not find out about it until it is too late.

Hospitals: Hospitals and clinic can be wonderful or not so great. With ratings and reviews online, a patient can find out where the most competent health care providers practice, what grades the place has received from the licensing inspectors and more. If an individual needs to have open-heart surgery, they will want to choose a clinic or facility that specializes in this procedure with lots of success in their track record. If a pregnant mom is due to deliver a baby and wants to schedule a caesarian section because of physical necessity, she will want to choose a hospital with a competent OBGYN delivery staff.

Nursing homes: Elderly individuals who are living out their final days in nursing homes deserve to have the best care available. This is a vulnerable segment of our population and they need to be especially looked out for. What are the qualifications of the doctors, nurses and aides? What is the social and recreational component like? Are there activities for the folks to do to remain happy, vital and enjoy life till the end? Before medical ratings were available, a person couldn’t learn about others’ past experiences with a nursing home very easily.

Medical ratings give consumers an opportunity to review health care providers and facilities before the first appointment. It’s wise to do one’s homework.

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