Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Online physician reviews: A physician does a study on himself

Christopher Johnson, MD
Physician
October 28, 2017
320 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

In theory, of course, it’s a great idea for people to give their opinions and rate their experiences with any goods or services they buy. The notion goes back long before the Internet with publications like Consumer Reports, which is now itself online. Sites such as Angie’s List are very popular and can give you testimonials about providers of everything from home renovations to car repair to daycare. So it’s not surprising several entrepreneurs have started physician rating sites. A huge issue is the sample size is so tiny; many physicians get only a single review. Also, the reviews are anonymous, and there have been several well-known examples of stalkers trashing a physician’s reputation out of some animus to the person. It’s also well known perhaps a fifth or so of reviews at sites like this are fake anyway.

So I wondered. I’ve been practicing for 35 years and cared for thousands of patients. I have moved a few times and now work at several hospitals, so perhaps I’m hard to track down correctly, but maybe not. Also, rating pediatric critical care providers for patient choice reasons seems silly on the face of it because nobody shops around and plans for things when their child is suddenly critically ill or injured. You just go to the nearest place and are treated by whoever is there. Still, I thought it would be interesting to look. I would imagine I was a parent looking to get the inside scoop on that Johnson guy. The sites generally contain some biographical information about the physician: address, insurance accepted, where he or she trained, if he or she had ever been disciplined by an official body. I wondered how accurate that would be for me. So here we go.

U.S. News and World Report: This site listed me. It had my correct address and correctly listed my specialty, medical school, and years of practice (although it only said 21 plus). It was correct in all my training data and even listed a couple of awards I’ve gotten. It looks as if they obtained my CV from Doximity, a physician site. They did miss several of the hospitals where I have credentials, including the one where I mainly practice, but they did get my various medical licenses correct. On the other hand, they didn’t rate me at all. So if I were a parent checking up on me, I’d only have my credentials to go on.

Healthgrades: This one got my main hospital correct, unlike US News. It also got my years of practice correct. But there were no reviews of me at all.

Vitals: I’m listed on this site. The details of my training are skimpy but what is there is correct. They also got my main hospital affiliation correct. I got one review: 5 stars. I’ve seen hundreds of patients at that hospital, yielding one review.

MD.com: This one was hopelessly wrong. It stated I practice primary care pediatrics, which I don’t and never have, and it had an address for me that was ten years out of date. It had no reviews of me. I suspect this website was just abandoned by its owners.

UCompare: These guys had me listed. The address was wrong, and there were no reviews.

RateMDs: I wasn’t listed.

ZocDocs: I wasn’t listed.

WebMD: This is a huge site. Most people use it for information about diseases, but it also lists doctors. It listed me, but there were no reviews.

So there you have it. I’ve cared for thousands of children over the years, and many hundreds since these doctor rating sites have been around. I had one review. It was a great one, but really, I can’t see that any parent would have found searching for information about me to be useful. The great majority of Google hits were to this website, the one you are reading now.

Christopher Johnson is a pediatric intensive care physician and author of Keeping Your Kids Out of the Emergency Room: A Guide to Childhood Injuries and Illnesses, Your Critically Ill Child: Life and Death Choices Parents Must Face, How to Talk to Your Child’s Doctor: A Handbook for Parents, and How Your Child Heals: An Inside Look At Common Childhood Ailments. He blogs at his self-titled site, Christopher Johnson, MD.

Image credit: Christopher Johnson, Shutterstock.com

Prev

How is mental health care failing American patients?

October 28, 2017 Kevin 2
…
Next

10 golden communication tips for doctors. And 3 things they shouldn't do.

October 28, 2017 Kevin 2
…

Tagged as: Hospital-Based Medicine, Pediatrics

Post navigation

< Previous Post
How is mental health care failing American patients?
Next Post >
10 golden communication tips for doctors. And 3 things they shouldn't do.

More by Christopher Johnson, MD

  • The success of Australian firearms regulation: What it could mean for children

    Christopher Johnson, MD
  • Do protocols and pathways improve care?

    Christopher Johnson, MD
  • Why are so many community hospitals transferring children to larger facilities?

    Christopher Johnson, MD

Related Posts

  • How online physician reviews can be fake news

    Deborah Burton, MD
  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • 5 must-haves for great physician online profiles

    Brian R. Dooley
  • Why academic medicine needs to value physician contributions to online platforms

    Ariela L. Marshall, MD
  • How a physician keynote can highlight your conference

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Chasing numbers contributes to physician burnout

    DrizzleMD

More in Physician

  • Breaking free from restrictive covenants to combat burnout

    Raya E. Kheirbek, MD
  • From medical student to intern: Discovering a deeper connection with patients

    Johnathan Yao, MD, MPH
  • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

    Jennifer Lycette, MD
  • Decoding name displays in health care: Privacy, identification, and compliance unveiled

    Deepak Gupta, MD
  • Master time management with 7 productivity strategies for optimal results

    Farzana Hoque, MD
  • The tragic story of Mr. G: a painful journey towards understanding suicide

    William Lynes, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Physician entrepreneurs offer hope for burned out doctors

      Cindy Rubin, MD | Physician
    • Boxing legends Tyson and Foreman: powerful lessons for a resilient and evolving health care future

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • We need a new Hippocratic Oath that puts patient autonomy first

      Jeffrey A. Singer, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling the intricate link between housing costs and health care

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Policy
    • Breaking free from restrictive covenants to combat burnout

      Raya E. Kheirbek, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • It’s time to replace the 0 to 10 pain intensity scale with a better measure

      Mark Sullivan, MD and Jane Ballantyne, MD | Conditions
    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Revolutionize your practice: the value-based care model that reduces physician burnout

      Chandravadan Patel, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Breaking free from restrictive covenants to combat burnout

      Raya E. Kheirbek, MD | Physician
    • Fixing the system and prioritizing patient care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • From medical student to intern: Discovering a deeper connection with patients

      Johnathan Yao, MD, MPH | Physician
    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling the global pandemic threat: insights into risk factors and urgent measures for prevention

      Ton La, Jr., MD, JD | Policy
    • Decoding name displays in health care: Privacy, identification, and compliance unveiled

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 4 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Novel IDH1/2 Inhibitor Shows 'Dramatic Effect' in Low-Grade Glioma
  • Nivolumab-AVD Boosts PFS in Untreated Hodgkin Lymphoma
  • 'You Can't Yoga Your Way Out of This': What We Heard This Week
  • New Standard in Operable EGFR-Positive Lung Cancer
  • New Ovarian Cancer Drug Extends Survival in Resistant Disease

Meeting Coverage

  • Novel IDH1/2 Inhibitor Shows 'Dramatic Effect' in Low-Grade Glioma
  • Nivolumab-AVD Boosts PFS in Untreated Hodgkin Lymphoma
  • New Standard in Operable EGFR-Positive Lung Cancer
  • New Ovarian Cancer Drug Extends Survival in Resistant Disease
  • Neoadjuvant Chemo Flops Versus Upfront Surgery for Resectable Pancreatic Cancer
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Physician entrepreneurs offer hope for burned out doctors

      Cindy Rubin, MD | Physician
    • Boxing legends Tyson and Foreman: powerful lessons for a resilient and evolving health care future

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • We need a new Hippocratic Oath that puts patient autonomy first

      Jeffrey A. Singer, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling the intricate link between housing costs and health care

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Policy
    • Breaking free from restrictive covenants to combat burnout

      Raya E. Kheirbek, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • It’s time to replace the 0 to 10 pain intensity scale with a better measure

      Mark Sullivan, MD and Jane Ballantyne, MD | Conditions
    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Revolutionize your practice: the value-based care model that reduces physician burnout

      Chandravadan Patel, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Breaking free from restrictive covenants to combat burnout

      Raya E. Kheirbek, MD | Physician
    • Fixing the system and prioritizing patient care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • From medical student to intern: Discovering a deeper connection with patients

      Johnathan Yao, MD, MPH | Physician
    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling the global pandemic threat: insights into risk factors and urgent measures for prevention

      Ton La, Jr., MD, JD | Policy
    • Decoding name displays in health care: Privacy, identification, and compliance unveiled

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Online physician reviews: A physician does a study on himself
4 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...