There are online forums where consumers can review all kinds of products and services: hotels, mechanics, video games, child care…and doctors.
In response, some physicians are now asking patients to sign agreements – "gag orders" in essence – that prohibit them from posting a possible negative review.
Is this the best way to deal with potential criticism?
Or is it really reasonable to measure medical care providers the way we rate a lawn service or a roofer?
On the one hand, it's understandable why these docs may be weary of unfair negative reviews. They're sometimes associated with unwanted test results, medical procedures that didn't go as planned…It's the old "don't shoot the messenger" adage.
But, that's not always the argument practitioners are making for wanting to quash online patient reviews. Dr. Jeffrey Segal, a surgeon who started Medical Justice, a company that helps docs produce these "waivers" says patients should only measure their doctors by their medical skills. A vital part, of course, but the only measure? In a recent AP news story, Dr. Segal uses this example of an unfair review from rateMDs.com: "Very unhelpful, arrogant," it said of a doctor. "Did not listen and cut me off, seemed much too happy to have power (and abuse it!) over suffering people."
Fair or not fair – for a mom experiencing a mood disorder this review is valuable. Symptoms are often so confusing that moms need a doc who will take the time to listen. A care provider who shows compassion and understanding can be the very thing to lead a mom to recovery. Moreover, moms often do better with someone who will listen and works with treatment options vs. an experienced doc who holds great knowledge with an "it's my way or the highway" attitude.
Doesn't true medical skill involve both – compassion and knowledge?
