The healthcare industry is undergoing a dynamic change thanks to the availability of a lot of information regarding the industry. Consumers are increasingly making informed decisions concerning their healthcare. This has been made possible by the multitude of healthcare reviews and ratings that are now available. A healthcare review is a subjective or objective analysis of health institutions, healthcare providers, medical devices or pharmaceutical products. Ratings on the other hand seek to compare the above and point out important attributes such as the best hospitals, the most competent physicians and the most effective drugs.
Healthcare Reviews
So how do reviews and ratings impact the delivery of health services? The greatest impact is on the financial position of the industry. These clinic, hospital and doctor reviews are posted online via social media sites or official review sites and influence growth of the industry. Consequently, information about almost anything in the industry can go viral over a short time. Research has shown that a significant number of consumers-to the tune of almost fifty percent- take time to read healthcare reviews. An even bigger number, seventy percent of this group uses this information. Their decisions on issues like which hospital to visit and which physicians to consult are motivated by this information. Decisions on health plans have also been guided by healthcare reviews and ratings.
As a result, healthcare institutions are seeking to promote customer satisfaction in order to receive positive reviews and excellent ratings. More financial resource is being spent on areas that will ensure satisfactory customer experience. Adjustments in delivery of services, drugs used and patient-physician relationships are being renewed as time goes by. This has seen the upgrading of health institutions to portray quality. All these are in a bid to stay in the good books of healthcare reviews and ratings.
Indeed, healthcare reviews are important for a number of reasons. Firstly, they create some form of healthy competition which helps to foster quality. A negative rating or review is not well appreciated. Therefore most hospitals, physicians and pharmaceutical companies will strive to receive a good report from the consumers. Secondly, they are important in determining the growth of this industry. Stakeholders in the industry are increasingly being forced to run the industry with the aim of ensuring patient satisfaction. A good example is the situation where a hospital has to shift focus on purchasing certain drugs and certain medical devices more than others. Basically, if the hospital has to continue growing, then it has to highly consider patient satisfaction.
In as much as the importance of healthcare reviews is quite obvious, there is yet to be found standard metrics and yardsticks for measuring performance. There are multiple parameters being used and these tend to be subjective. The whole concept will be more productive if a single trusted rating system was developed. Generally, some of the metrics being used in reviewing health institutions include the availability of health facilities, the competence and human skills of the physicians, the cost of health services and the quality of patient care. Most reviewers write based on their personal experience within such facilities.
In light of all the above, it is beneficial to know what makes a good healthcare review. When operating from an insightful and informed platform, one can use good healthcare reviews to make rational decisions about their health. The following are five characteristics of a good healthcare review:-
- Objective- It portrays the state of the healthcare industry in an objective basis preferably over a subjective basis motivated by personal preferences.
- Rational- a good healthcare review describes both the positives and negatives of a hospital, a medical device or a drug.
- Realistic- Standards used to make a review or rating should be realistic considering other factors play a role in the success of the industry.
- Evidence based- A good healthcare review is backed by actual experience of the reviewer with the object, institution or person in review.
- Conclusive-Such a review should be able to make a complete analysis such that the information can be used for improvement by the industry.