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Researching Doctors on Yelp and Online

Do You Research Doctors on Yelp?

April 30, 2010

The other day I was Googling my doctor's name to find her phone number, and I stumbled upon her page of Yelp reviews. I'd never considered researching a doctor on Yelp; usually I just ask friends for recommendations or pick based on proximity. But with new customer-generated reviews from sites like Yelp, as well as Zagat's guides for WellPoint, we can get opinions from multiple patients at once, which might just confuse things. Have you researched docs online?

Source: Getty

5 Comments

Spectra 3 years 3 weeks

I didn't use Yelp, but when I had a gum graft done last month, my dentist recommended a periodontist for the procedure. Since I'd never gone to him before, I wanted to be sure he had experience with the procedure and had a good success rate. Turns out, grafts are pretty much all he does, so he knew what he was doing. I had a great result and I'd go back to him if I ever needed anything else done.

wackdoodle 3 years 3 weeks

I do but I also check out my current doctors and future doctors on the AMA site and a state medical rating website. If I can remember the URLs for the doctor review site for CA I'll post it. I also made it a point to post a synopsis of my experience with my doctors on some consumer sites. My long time General Physician took on a whole mess of new patients a few years back and they were complaining about her appearance and demeanor. My doctor was darn near an albino, a true toe-head with very fair day-glow complexion plus she was very tall and thin. People were giving her bad ratings because of her appearance and the fact that she didn't wear makeup , wore Patagonia vests over a long sleeve polo shirt and khakis. Plus the new patients were like "she speaks really weird. When she asks a question she's too straight forward." I explained in my comment that initially those things were odd to me too then I found out that our doctor was born in Sweden and raised there until her mid-teens. She is very reserved and speaks perfect english she just has a very European sensibility and that she wasn't being rude or short, its just how she looks and who she is. I asked the new patients to give her a few months and try to get to know her and let her know them and she'd be much more appealing. I think most of them did cause the woman was always overloaded with patients and constantly getting new patients from other doctors in the same practice.

meereesa 3 years 3 weeks

I'd rather have info than have nothing at all. I'm really particular about my doctors, and since I don't have friends within the same health network/area as me, I really like having input where I can get it. Too bad there's hardly any postings on doctors.

sourcherries 3 years 3 weeks

Welll, yes and no. I put no, because in general, I don't. I have an hmo, so it's not like I only see one and I don't reeeeally have a choice. But, I did with a chiro--which isn't covered and only because he was referred.

tlsgirl 3 years 3 weeks

Too much information sometimes just makes it harder to make a choice. I usually ask someone I trust who they recommend and just go with that. Then, I make up my own mind.

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