People still rely on the opinions of friends and family for suggestions on health care providers. And personal experience remains an unmatched resource. But what if you could check that information against a professional rating? Would it interest you to know that there are healthcare rating services available to you at no cost?
These ratings organizations analyze data that health care providers are required to submit to regulatory agencies, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to formulate rankings. Demands for quality health care information have driven the government and providers to come up with measures and make them publicly available. Health care buyers, including employers, insurance companies and uninsured patients, are beginning to use these ratings to get the best value for their money.
While it’s not perfect, the quality ratings are starting to set up competition between doctors and hospitals. Patients will use the quality ratings more as doctors and other providers refer to them when making health-care recommendations.
If you use these services, be aware that it can be unclear how information is being analyzed to set doctors' ratings for instance. Some doctors may perform more procedures than others. Others might treat sicker patients, who require more extensive and costlier care. An accurate comparison of doctors needs to consider those items. The sites nevertheless provide valuable information when you are considering a medical procedure, or are new to an area.
Always recognize that the best health care occurs when patients and doctors communicate effectively.
Here are a few sites that may be of value to you:
www.Healthgrades.com - Most information is at no charge
www.vitals.com - Ratings on doctors, no charge; Vitals.com allows patients to review and rate their physicians… keep the source in mind!
www.doctorscorecard.com - Also no charge, but this looks like a popularity chart…
www.drscore.com - This site states: They believe that patients are to be trusted and are a good, if not the best, source of information on the quality of medical care. So again, remember the source.
www.consumersresearchcncl.org - Provides consumers' information guides for professional services throughout America. Lots of info here.
www.checkbook.org - A for fee service... Consumers’ CHECKBOOK/The Center for the Study of Services is an independent, nonprofit consumer organization founded in 1974. They are supported entirely by subscription payments and donations from individual consumers.
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