Those Who Rate Doctors Are Monitored

Patients are encouraged to rate doctors on resource websites in order to help those who may be searching for providers. These sites are monitored so that you can trust the information you find. Of course when a site is available for the public, there will be some forms of abuse. This activity, however, is monitored so that all information you come across can be used to help guide you in your voyage to select a doctor that is right for you. Comments are regularly checked and edited for validity and reliability, astroturfing is closely watched, and response tools are available for those wishing to retort a score or review.

Those who rate doctors most often do so to promote physicians worthy of business, but there are those who get caught up in bad experiences and turn to review sites with malicious intent. This kind of activity is monitored, and the owners of the site have the right and the responsibility to edit reviews as they see fit. Inappropriate comments, invalid reviews, and anything seen as unnecessary or malicious will be removed by administrators leaving only reliable constructive criticism available to the user.

A practice known as “astroturfing” is the illegal intent of beefing up one’s own reviews to either negate existing negativity or to drive business to a particular provider or office. This is sometimes done by the providers themselves, by hired customers, or by office staff. These are many red flags that can tip off site administrators when astroturfing is being practiced. Things such as numerous responses from the same computer, several similar reviews in succession, and many other protective devices are used to make sure that those who rate physicians are doing so with honesty and integrity.

For those reviews that do pass the legalities of such sites but still seem unparallel, tools are available for patients to respond to posts. In these circumstances, it is possible that the use will lose a degree of anonymity because only registered users of physician review sites have retort tools at their discretion.

These sites are made available as a resource to serve the public, and all precautions are taken to make sure that the public receives valid information meant to help guide them in navigating the medical community. You can rely on these sites for help with guidance.