The New York Times just published a new article that echos my concerns with the validity of anonymous on-line physician reviews (fakery/ fraudulent reviews, skewed perceptions and biased evaluations.)
Don’t get me wrong – the internet is an incredibly powerful tool (after all – that’s how you found about this blog, and my independent review project.) But it needs to be upfront and above-board. Anonymous postings have little value in a competitive market like healthcare and often amount to little more than propaganda (if positive) or even spam or harassment (if negative). Also multiple studies have shown that unhappy clientele (for any service, not exclusively healthcare) are 20 TIMES more likely to mention their experience to others and mention it to 5 times as many people as people who are content/ happy or satisfied with their encounter.
That being said – I admit that I often sneak over to Healthgrades.com myself to see what former patients have posted about me.
Love, Life and Surgery in Latin America is now Colombian Culture & Cuisine 
Just like review sites for movies and books, I find it hard to believe both sides since some of them might just be promoting or bashing the one in question. When it comes to surgery, it is no cheap thing compared to movies and books. So why do I have to trust to the ones who go with or against the doctor in question? That is why in such matters, I go to online forums like the one in Plastic Surgery Guide since it is highly likely that you are conversing with real people there.
However, that still omits a critical portion when talking about surgery – since patients are ASLEEP – which is why you need a trained unbiased observer to evaluate surgical procedures and protocols. Even bad surgeons can have excellent bedside manner and vise versa.
Yeah. In any profession, there will be people who talk like they know what they are doing but always comes up short in execution. That is why there is a need for a third party who will observe these surgeons and give them the proper review for everyone to study.
Well – if you ever need/ want the unvarnished truth – you know where to find me.