Published in:
01-11-2019 | Original research
A Comparison of Online Physician Ratings and Internal Patient-Submitted Ratings from a Large Healthcare System
Published in: Journal of General Internal Medicine | Issue 11/2019
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Background
Physician online ratings are ubiquitous and influential, but they also have their detractors. Given the lack of scientific survey methodology used in online ratings, some health systems have begun to publish their own internal patient-submitted ratings of physicians.
Objective
The purpose of this study was to compare online physician ratings with internal ratings from a large healthcare system.
Design
Retrospective cohort study comparing online ratings with internal ratings from a large healthcare system.
Setting
Kaiser Permanente, a large integrated healthcare delivery system.
Participants
Physicians in the Southern California region of Kaiser Permanente, including all specialties with ambulatory clinic visits.
Main Measures
The primary outcome measure was correlation between online physician ratings and internal ratings from the integrated healthcare delivery system.
Results
Of 5438 physicians who met inclusion and exclusion criteria, 4191 (77.1%) were rated both online and internally. The online ratings were based on a mean of 3.5 patient reviews, while the internal ratings were based on a mean of 119 survey returns. The overall correlation between the online and internal ratings was weak (Spearman’s rho .23), but increased with the number of reviews used to formulate each online rating.
Conclusions
Physician online ratings did not correlate well with internal ratings from a large integrated healthcare delivery system, although the correlation increased with the number of reviews used to formulate each online rating. Given that many consumers are not aware of the statistical issues associated with small sample sizes, we would recommend that online rating websites refrain from displaying a physician’s rating until the sample size is sufficiently large (for example, at least 15 patient reviews). However, hospitals and health systems may be able to provide better information for patients by publishing the internal ratings of their physicians.