When the internet first came to households across America, people didn't know quite what to make of it. It was a nice way to keep in touch with friends. You could check the weather without waiting for the news. You could read celebrity gossip. But was there any real substance behind the sizzle? As we know now, the answer was a definitive yes. Online doctor reviews are only the latest manifestation of the information age. In the days before the internet, information about what product was better than what other product was only found in magazines like "Consumer Reports". Now we are able to find out what a wide swath of Americans think about any particular product or service, and the medical community is not immune to this new revolution.

If you looked around, you could have found doctor reviews online even ten years ago. But one or two people providing opinions wasn't much of a help to anyone. Today, it has grown into a true phenomenon. Popular physicians in big metropolitan areas may have hundreds of ratings on certain sites. Naturally, this increased exposure has led to increased controversy. After all, not everyone is happy with this trend. Many physician's groups would be happier if it disappeared altogether. It's not likely to go anywhere, however, regardless of controversy. You can't close Pandora's Box and you can't stifle information that's already out there. Not in this day and age.

Legal boundaries will naturally curtail and shape the direction of this trend. Libel is still punishable in a court of law and a reviewer puts themselves at risk of a lawsuit should they get on an open forum and write things that simply aren't true. Several people have been sued already. If you're concerned about the same thing happening to you, make it easy on yourself. Report the facts, phrase opinion as just that, and avoid exaggerations. Freedom of speech is still alive and well in the United States, and you have a right to be heard.

In a few years, people probably won't understand what all the controversy was about in the first place. Doctor reviews will become every bit as ubiquitous as movie reviews or product ratings. And with that increased exposure and participation will come a greater accuracy. There is wisdom in crowds and the more people participate, the easier it will be to see which physicians are rising to the top and which ones are dropping like a stone. It promises a new era of physicians producing their best work for each patient, which may be just the health care reform we need.