Patients still rely on word of mouth when picking a health care provider

Only 11 percent of  patients use online information about health-care providers when looking for a new primary-care physician, only 7 percent used online resources for picking a specialist, and just 3 percent used online information to learn about a procedure, accord to a survey conducted by the Center for Health System Change.

Instead, despite a host of new online physician and hospital rating systems, Americans still rely on word of mouth and their physicians’ recommendations, the survey found.

Nearly two in five of those surveyed said they used multiple sources of information when looking for a primary care physician.

Overall, half relied on word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family, 38 percent also considered doctors’ recommendations, and 35 percent used information from their health plan.

“Most Americans still rely on information from friends and family when choosing a primary care physician,” said Ha T. Tu, a co-author of the study, “and few Americans actively shop or consider price or quality information.”

13,500 adults participated in the survey, which was funded by the California HealthCare Foundation

To learn more:

• Read the Survey “Word of Mouth and Physician Referrals Still Drive Health Care Provider Choice“.

Tags: Online Health Information, Online Health Rankings, Patient Choice, Referral

Category: Health-care Policy