Cosmetic Surgery Times - April 2009 - (Page 19) 19 APRIL 2009 order.” Angie Hicks, founder of the popular consumer rating site Angie’s List, which recently added physician ratings to its service segments, was meanwhile quoted as saying, “As a consumer advocate, I would oppose this practice as nothing short of an attempt to steal the consumers’ right to free speech.” In an interview with Cosmetic Surgery Times, Ms. Hicks says the lack of anonymity on Angie’s List postings should put physicians at ease. In addition to notifying doctors when a member has posted a rating on them, Angie’s List provides the doctor with free access to the site (members are otherwise charged a fee), and even if they don’t want to post a response, they can at least contact the patient directly. She adds that, since Angie’s List gets more positive feedback than negative, physicians can benefit from feedback if their patients are satisfied. QUALITY ASSURANCE TOOL avoiding the ratings game altogether and instead taking part in medical information sites such as RealSelf.com, which offers patient reviews of cosmetic procedures—not physicians. RealSelf.com president and founder Tom Seery says his site helps level the playing field for doctors online by allowing them to offer their medical expertise. “Most doctors have no control over their presence online and consumers are finding out information on them through [popular ratings sites] that [doctors] cannot interact with, or have limited ability to interact with. I saw that and say that’s inappropriate,” Mr. Seery tells Cosmetic Surgery Times. “These doctors deserve to have a voice online and I think that’s how RealSelf. com is different and creates value for consumers in a unique way.” The Web site earned the support of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), which has partnered with RealSelf.com to give visitors to the site access to answers from some ASAPS members. In partnering with RealSelf, ASAPS was also motivated by its mission to spread the word about the importance of board certification. “The idea was to get the word out to the public about board certification and inform patients about exactly what field the doctor’s board certification is in,” explains Dan Mills, M.D., a Laguna Beach, Calif.-based plastic surgeon and chair of ASAPS’s Electronic Communications Committee. SIGHT UNSEEN Dr. Mills notes, however, that even though the RealSelf.com format is not a doctor rating site, doctors are still in somewhat tricky territory and need to use caution in responding to health questions online. [Physicians who] stay abreast of their ratings and use the feedback to improve their service can really grow their practice. — Angie Hicks Founder, Angie’s List his responses to questions with the strong advice that patients see their health care provider in person. GAMING THE SYSTEM that many originated from the headquarters offices of Fig., a now-bankrupt chain of Lipodissolve centers. “The Lipodissolve situation was probably one of the best cases of the power of social media I can think of,” Mr. Seery says. “We basically outed the people at Fig., whom we found were posing as satisfied patients on our site. Allure magazine picked up on it and within a week, Fig.’s venture capitalists pulled their money and the company went bankrupt.” H “Companies [and physicians] that stay abreast of their ratings and use the feedback to improve their service can really grow their practice based on Angie’s List members,” Ms. Hicks says. “From time to time you may get a complaint, but keep in mind the fact that the provider’s rating is an average of the report; so if overall they’re providing good service, that will come out in the average.” Doctors can advertise on Angie’s List, but only if they have an “A” or a “B” rating, Ms. Hicks adds. In the review section, the site asks preset questions for members, such as how the doctor’s bedside manner was and how punctual he or she was, but Dr. Segal says the latter is an example of how such ratings may only tell part of the story. “With punctuality, it could be that your doctor is always on time because he or she only spends three minutes per patient, and you’re not going to be any different; whereas a doctor may be late because the patient before you had 16 medical problems and he took extra time to do right for that patient — and you would hope that he would likewise do that for you if you had 16 medical problems.” TECHNIQUE TALK INSTEAD RealSelf.com closely monitors its reviews to prevent another key flaw in the world of online ratings — self-reporting — and in doing so, it uncovered a doozy. The site’s administrators noticed an unusual number of positive reviews coming in for the controversial Lipodissolve procedure. RealSelf traced the reviews and discovered “The best scenario is, of course, to have a patient come in, provide a physical exam and listen to what they’re talking about,” he says. “And when you’re working over the Internet, sometimes without even photos — much less the actual patient to exam right in front of you — it’s impossible to really do the very best,” he says. “That’s why we have to be very careful not to try to give medical advice but just offer little tidbits for the readers to ponder.” Dr. Mills says he always concludes Some physicians are building a strong Web presence for themselves and http://www.profectmedical.com http://www.profectmedical.com
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