01/07/2012    

E-HEALTH NEWS

Doctors Feel Helpless Over Patients' Online Slams

Many doctors fret about the power the Internet has given disgruntled patients, competitors - anybody really - to bash practices more efficiently than any town gossip could ever imagine. A growing number of consumer review sites - one expert estimates there are close to a hundred - let patients evaluate their doctors, and the results can be brutal. Then there are the online chats, Facebook pages, and blogs where patients can praise or criticize doctors. The doctors feel they can't fight back publicly because of patient privacy protections.

Not only are the review sites a burgeoning industry, they are also spawning another: companies that help doctors (and other businesses) fight bad reviews and create a more positive online image. Even doctors who don't hire these companies may feel compelled to try blogging, tweeting, and writing Facebook updates. In an extreme effort to protect their reputations, some doctors and dentists have required patients to sign contracts that give medical professionals the right to suppress negative online comments.

Source: Stacey Burling, Philadelphia Inquirer [1/6/12]