How do patients select a new physician? 77% say online reviews

Fifty-nine percent of patients report using review sites at least often or sometimes, according to a report by the medical technology reviews company Software Advice.

Here's what you need to know:

1. Only 16 percent of patients reported never using review sites; 25 percent said they rarely used them.

2. A total of 77 percent of patients use online reviews before selecting a physician; 16 percent of patients use online reviews after selecting a physician.

3. When looking at review sites, 47 percent of patients reported being interested in individual physician and entire practice reviews; 40 percent reported only being interested in individual physician reviews and 13 percent reported only being interested in entire practice reviews.

4. The plurality of patients, 28 percent, say quality of care is the most important factor of online reviews; 26 percent say ratings are most important.

5. Almost half of patients, 47 percent, say they would go out-of-network for a physician who has similar qualifications to an in-network physician, but who has better reviews.

6. A total of 60 percent of patients say it is "very important" or "moderately important" for physicians to respond to poor reviews.

7. Only 7 percent of patients use online reviews to evaluate a current physician.

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