Yelp is no help when picking a doctor, researchers say

With a few clicks of the mouse, consumers can pull up ratings and reviews of hotels, restaurants, clothing items, vacation activities—the list is seemingly endless.

But don’t rush to your computer when picking a doctor, researchers warn.

In a study of 78 specialists from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, researchers found little correlation between internal quality measures and physicians' online reviews.

“It may be that these ratings are a good measure of the front-office service or the interpersonal style of the physician,” Brennan Spiegel, a gastroenterologist and co-author of the study, told Bloomberg. “We’re not saying that there’s no value to these online ratings—we’re saying don’t confuse those ratings in any way, shape or form with the actual technical skill.”

Read the full Bloomberg article at the link below:

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Daniel joined TriMed’s Chicago editorial team in 2017 as a Cardiovascular Business writer. He previously worked as a writer for daily newspapers in North Dakota and Indiana.

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