Mar 5, 2009 8:11 pm US/Eastern
Doctors Revolt Against Online Patients' Comments
Some Say If You Want To Be Treated You Must Sign A Waiver Agreeing Not To Publish Thoughts On Web
Reporting
Cindy Hsu
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Some doctors are trying to protect their reputations, by asking patients to sign a special agreement not to share their feelings about the physician in cyberspace.
There are lots of Web sites where patients rate their doctors and share all sorts of information about their experiences.
But now some doctors are fighting back by having patients sign a waiver before they're treated, agreeing not to post any comments about the doctor online.
The company Medical Justice sells the waiver agreements to doctors, and notifies them when a negative rating appears on a Web site.
Neurosurgeon Jeff Segal is the founder and said patient postings are often unreliable.
"We think that if we just allow all information to go up onto the Internet without any accountability we're just as more likely to be misinformed than informed," Segal said.
But, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center radiologist Munir Ghesani said all patient feedback is key, positive or negative.
"Having these evaluations helps, whether they are written down by a patient on a paper or posted on a Web site," Dr. Ghesani said. "If it helps improve what you do then I welcome that approach."
Colin Dowden of East Flatbush said he often goes to the Web to check-out doctors.
"If the doctor's doing everything correctly he shouldn't worry about what's being posted about him," Dowden said. "I wouldn't sign it."
Added Maria Mazzaro of Staten Island: "I feel like it's almost bribery. If it's a bad doctor someone should really know."
Some told CBS 2 HD if a doctor asked them to sign a waiver, it would set-off red flags.
"I would be a little suspicious at first," Peter Roppolo of Mount Kisco said. "Is there something about this doctor's past that I don't know about or I should know about?"
The American Medical Association has taken no position on patient waivers, but the president said online doctor reviews should taken with a grain of salt, and should not be a patient's sole source of information when looking for a new physician.
Medical Justice advises doctors to have all their patients sign the waivers, and if a new patient refuses, the doctor might suggest finding another physician.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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