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Physician ratings are here to stay, and trying to decipher them can be a bit overwhelming. Navigating through the aggregation of information can cause a bit of confusion and spinning for most folks.

The present physician rating system has caused a struggle within the healthcare industry. Health insurers are on the band-wagon, supporting initiatives that streamline programs to help guide patients rating doctors. Major health insurance conglomerates backing the effort include Aetna Inc., United Healthcare, Cigna Corp, General Electric Co., General Motors Corp., AARP and the AFL-CIO, as well as some physician groups, including the American College of Cardiologists and the American College of Surgeons. (Heather Won Tesoriero, Uniform Doctor Ratings Sought, The Wall Street Journal, April 2, 2008).

In Tesoriero’s article, she gives examples for “How Good is My Doctor?” based on physician-performance measures developed by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Based on these measures, here are a couple of indicators of whether your doctor is a good one. “Flu Shots: Percentage of patients age 50-64 who report having received an influenza vaccination during the past flu season.” “Pneumonia vaccination status: The percentage of patients 65 and older who ever received a pneumococcal vaccination.”

Is this information important? Sure, but it is cold. When folks are looking for good doctors, for the best doctor, they want to know first what the doctor’s rapport is with patients and do they communicate effectively. Yes, patients want highly intelligent, medically competent doctors, but they also need to know that there is “human” side to them. The compassion, the caring is crucial. No one wants to visit with a doctor and have him or her rush you out of the office with your questions unanswered and the feeling that you are a burden.

I asked Fred Pescatore, MD, MPH* his thoughts, and he said, “The trouble with outside evaluating agencies is that they look at cold, hard data points and not who the physician is as a healer. You can bet that the nurse knows that aspect, which to me is the most important part about being a physician. If your nurse can recommend you to their family and friends, then you know you are a good doctor.”

There is no doubt that a plethora of physician rating websites have recently blossomed, so how should folks go about finding the most trusted site? Simple; nurses are the most trusted health professionals in America, according to the annual Gallup Poll, so why not choose a site where many of the doctor recommendations are from nurses? By doing so, you will get an insider’s view of what nurses really think about the doctors who care for them and the doctors they work with.

“I think that one of the most effective ways of knowing if a physician is someone you want to be working with is to ask their staff, and particularly their nurses. Nurses are an integral part of a medical practice and know the physicians they work inside and out,” said Fred Pescatore, MD, MPH.

As a registered nurse I’ll cut to the chase for you. Where do folks go to read what nurses, the experts, are saying about their doctors and doctors they work with? The healthcare provider rating and review website that promotes the professional opinions of nurses, www.CareSeek.com, “where experts recommend providers.”

*Fred Pescatore, MD, MPH is in private practice in New York City and a New York Times bestselling author of The Hamptons Diet.

By: Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA
B.Ficarra@Healthin30.com
www.healthin30.com