Should We Rate Doctors, and How?

Shoreline urgent care

We rate everything, and increasingly we turn to the internet before we make decisions about what we buy or use. Who has the best pizza? Which delivery service is the most popular? Which car is best for my particular needs? The freedom to rate products and services is great in many ways, and so it’s no surprise that as consumers we’re increasingly interested in how to rate doctors. Should we rate doctors like we do cell phones and bags of gummy candy; or even as we do schools and plumbers? For many people, the answer is increasingly yes, and here’s why:

Rate Doctors and You can Find Doctors

Instead of being stuck with whoever walks into our examination at the medical clinic, it’s not possible to find out in advance who might be one of the best persons in our area to treat our particular needs. Online ratings have done a lot in many industries to weed out incompetent people and keep the rest honest, and doctors are just normal people like the rest of us. Some When we rate doctors, we all end up with more knowledge about our choices.

Is it Fair to Rate Doctors?

Some would say that being a doctor is so complicated that only another doctor is really capable of rating a doctor’s performance. While this is true in some ways, the same can be said for teachers, plumbers, car salesman, and many other professionals that we regularly rate. Every profession has unique insider perspectives that only another professional in the field can fully appreciate. This doesn’t mean someone cannot be rated: it only means that we should carefully consider the criteria used when looking through the doctors directory. Ordinary people can tell us about a doctor’s manner and attitude, as well as costs and personal success rates. But there’s more information worth digging a little deeper to find.

How to Find a Good Doctor

The first stop is likely with your insurance provider, to get a starting list of doctors that will be covered by your plan. Then consider which hospitals and clinics your doctor works with, as that will determine where you can go if you need an emergency room visit, for example. Then, check your basics. WHat board certifications does the doctor have, and are there any red flags like a lot of disciplinary actions or malpractice suits? Even the best doctors will get sued once in a while, but a string of lawsuits is a bad sign.

When you’re sick or injured is not the best time to be looking for a new doctor. Since it’s possible now to rate doctors, it’s possible to think in advance for a lot of situations and settle on the medical help you want for your needs.

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