Patients Rarely Make Health Decisions Based on Rating Sites
A minimal number of patients are making decisions on a physician, hospital or health insurer based on information obtained from rating Web sites, according to a Harris Interactive poll, American Medical News reports.
The poll, commissioned by the California HealthCare Foundation, found that although more than 80% of California residents consult the Internet for health-related information, less than 25% have looked at physician rating Web sites and just 2% have changed physicians because of the sites. Similarly, just 1% of patients surveyed said they changed their hospital or health plan based on rating sites.
However, the survey of 1,007 Californians conducted between Nov. 5, 2007, and Dec. 17, 2007, found some increases in rating Web site use. According to the survey:
The percentage of respondents who had looked at a physician ratings site increased from 14% in 2004 to 22% in 2007;
The percentage who considered a change in physician based on the rating Web sites increased from 2% in 2004 to 5% in 2007; and
The percentage who actually made a change in their physician based on the rating Web sites increased from 1% in 2004 to 2% in 2007.
Among people who went online for health information, the survey found that they most frequently used the Internet to find information on specific diagnoses and symptoms.
Reaction
Some say the survey findings indicate that it could be a long time before the physician ratings sites catch on, while others say the survey shows that the market is new and that with time, the sites will grow and become more comprehensive.
Other experts predict that rating Web sites will grow in popularity as more insurers use tiered networks where health plan members pay less in out-of-pocket expenses for seeing physicians who meet insurers' quality data.
Maribeth Shannon, director of the market and policy program at CHCF, said safety and quality ratings do not mean as much to patients as they do to insurers because the sites use proprietary metrics to measure quality.
Despite the relatively low use of physician rating Web sites, physicians should still be concerned about their online reputations, according to experts (Dolan, American Medical News, 6/23).
