Physician Rating Websites: an Analysis of Physician Evaluation and Physician Perception.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to evaluate current physician ratings websites (PRWs) to determine which factors correlated to higher physician scores and evaluate physician perspective of PRWs. METHODS: This study evaluated two popular websites, Healthgrades.com and Vitals.com, to gather information on practicing physician members of the American Shoulder and Elbow Society database. A survey was conducted of the American Shoulder and Elbow Society (ASES) membership to gather data on the perception held by individual physicians regarding PRWs. RESULTS: We found that patients were more likely to give physicians positive reviews and the average overall score was 8.35 (3.75-10). Patient wait time (P=0.052) trended toward significance as a major factor in determining the overall scores, while ratings in both physician bedside manner (P=0.001) and physician/staff courtesy (P=0.002) were significant in reflecting the overall score given to the physician. According to our survey, a majority of the respondents were indifferent to highly unfavorable to PRWs (88%) and the validity of their ratings (78%). CONCLUSION: As PRWs become increasingly popular amongst patients in this digital age, it is critical to understand that the scores are not reflective of a significant proportion of the physicians' patient population. Physicians can use this study to determine what affects a patient's experience and focus efforts on improving patients' perception of quality, overall satisfaction, and overall care. Consumers may use this study to increase their awareness of the potential for significant sampling error inherent in PRWs when making decisions about their care.

Shoulder Arthroplasty Utilization Based on Race - Are Black Patients Underrepresented?

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to analyze national and institutional trends in shoulder arthroplasty utilization based on patient race. METHODS: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) was employed to determine racial trends in shoulder arthroplasty utilization at a national level. An institutional database was then utilized to retrospectively identify all patients, undergoing shoulder arthroplasty within 2011-2013. Descriptive statistics were used to compare self-identified black and non-black subpopulations. RESULTS: The NIS identified 256,832 primary shoulder arthroplasties within 2005-2011. Black patients constituted 3.92% (n=10,074) of cases. Utilization increased from 3.36% in 2005 to 4.49% in 2011. Locally, a total number of 1,174 primary shoulder arthroplasties were performed, the recipients of 5.96% (n=70) of which were black. Females accounted for 48/70 (68.6%) of black patients. Black patients had a higher body mass index (33.6 vs. 30.1, P<0.0001) and were younger (62.6 vs. 67.2 years, P<0.0001), compared to the non-black patients. Regarding insurance type, 1,074 patients (i.e., 65 black and 1,009 non-black) had comprehensive insurance data. Chi-square analysis of five major insurance categories, including private, Medicare, Medicaid, workers' compensation, and personal injury, indicated no difference in insurance patterns (χ2=3.658, P=0.454). CONCLUSION: The findings revealed significant racial disparity in shoulder arthroplasty utilization both at national and institutional levels. This disparity exists despite the similar rates of osteoarthritis in both white and black patients. Black patients in our institution had similar clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics as in our non-black patients. The obtained results highlighted the need for the expansion of black patients' access to care services related to major joint reconstruction.