Niam Yaraghi|Weiguang Wang|Guodong Gao|Ritu Agarwal
How Online Quality Ratings Influence Patients’ Choice of Medical Providers: Controlled Experimental Survey Study
University of Connecticut|Brookings Institution|University of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland, College Park
recent years information environment patients learn physician quality rapidly changed webbased ratings commercial government efforts however little known various types webbased ratings affect individuals choice physiciansthe objective research measure relative importance webbased quality ratings governmental commercial agencies individuals choice primary care physiciansin choicebased conjoint experiment conducted sample 1000 amazon mechanical turk users october 2016 individuals asked choose preferred primary care physician pairs physicians different ratings clinical nonclinical aspects care provided governmental commercial agenciesthe relative log odds choosing physician increases 131 95 ci 126137 p001 132 95 ci 127139 p001 units government clinical ratings commercial nonclinical ratings move 2 4 stars respectively relative log odds choosing physician increases 112 95 ci 107118 p001 units commercial clinical ratings move 2 4 stars relative log odds selecting physician 4 stars nonclinical ratings provided government 103 95 ci 098109 p001 units higher physician 2 stars rating log odds selecting physician 4 stars nonclinical government ratings relative physician 2 stars 023 95 ci 013033 p001 units higher females compared males similar star increase nonclinical commercial ratings increases relative log odds selecting physician female respondents 015 95 ci 004026 p006 unitsindividuals perceive nonclinical ratings provided commercial websites important clinical ratings provided government websites choosing primary care physician significant gender differences ratings used research needed whether patients making best use different types ratings well optimal allocation resources improving physician ratings governments perspective