USA Today just published a new article about how doctors are not fond of the misinformation that can exist at online ratings websites. The story is careful to emphasize that doctors care about how patients feel and welcome "scientifically valid patient surveys".

The President-elect of the American Medical Association, Nancy Nielsen, addresses the pitfalls of online ratings websites, saying that anonymous posts that rate physicians can negatively impact trust or ruin a physician's reputation.

When disgruntled patients go onto ratings websites to post information, any incorrect or biased accounts are problematic because physicians are not likely to take the time to "correct a smear".

With the recent update of the Hospital Compare website with HCAHPS survey data, patients now have an evidence-based source of comparison information to use when choosing a provider.