WellPoint announced on Monday that it has partnered with Zagat Survey (yes, the restaurant rating company) to rollout a new online survey tool allowing Wellpoint members to indicate if they would recommend a given physician to others and leave open-ended comments about their experience.
Eric Fennel, WellPoint's staff vice president of consumer innovation, says the insurer views the tool as the missing piece in a consumer tool landscape that is mostly dominated by clinical quality and cost tools. "What was missing was that peer-to-peer interaction around what other consumers think," Fennel explains.
True, but limiting the tool to only Wellpoint members is less than ideal. The best social networking or consumer rating sites (e.g., www.yelp.com) are open to everyone which also increases the number of reviews. And I'm not sure how much leeway Wellpoint will give to reviewers who have a really bad experience.
Anyway, kudos to Wellpoint for trying and I wish them success. Other insurers should follow suit.
There are already a few physician rating sites but most have limited information or require you to buy a report. I think ultimately the best physician rating sites will be those social networking or consumer rating sites that already command a large and active audience like Yelp where users have a reason to return day-to-day - and therefore, have better participation.
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