Rating doctors online

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By Karen Goldberg Goff

The search for a doctor begins, for many people, much like a search for a car or a new restaurant -- online.

Potential patients now have around 40 Web sites to choose from, with reviews of hundreds of thousands of doctors nationwide. Some sites are sponsored by insurance companies and feature doctors in their plan. Others are strictly consumer-driven. Even Zagat, publishers of the well-known restaurant guide, and Angie's List, best-known for helping consumers find plumbers and painters, are now in the doctor-rating business.

While online resources can be a good starting point to locate some physician specifics, such as proximity to your home and whether the doctor is in your insurance plan, it is the more subjective information that can be confusing.

"When you have only one or two reviews of a doctor, it is usually someone who is incredibly blissful or incredibly unhappy," says Dr. John Santa, an internist and director of Consumer Reports' Health Ratings Center. "That's not very useful."

Even if there are more than a handful of consumer postings, the results are often contradictory. Take, for instance, some of 27 reviews of Dr. Margaret A. Byrne, a District OB/Gyn, on Ratemds.com:

"Love Dr. Byrne. She's great. Really knowledgeable and helpful."

"Have a questions about test results? She won't return your call."

"She is abrasive and has the gentle touch of an elephant."

"She's the best."

Thanks to the cloak of anonymity protecting many of the posters to these rating sites, it is often very hard to evaluate the motives or credentials behind the customer reviews.