Dermatologists came in second to last, ahead only of psychiatry, in a study of 23 healthcare specialties, based on more than 28,000 online Yelp reviews. Also ranking low in consumer satisfaction: orthopedics and family practice.
Judging by the reviews, American healthcare consumers were most satisfied by their experiences with naturopathy (the most popular), audiology, oncology and osteopathic physicians. Interestingly, tattoo removal (a category in which provider type was not defined) ranked five in popularity among consumers.
Researchers conducting the nationwide study, public relations and marketing firm Vanguard Communications, developed software that scoured data from Yelp containing all reviews in the nation’s 100 largest cities, under the doctor category. The category is defined by Yelp and its users, which is why it contains some oddities, such as tattoo removal, according to Ron Harman King, Vanguard Communications’ CEO.
Among the study’s findings: more highly educated providers tended to rank lower. But a closer look reveals that the rating differences appear to be more related to quality of customer service than to an individual doctor’s education, training and clinical skills.
Read the full article on Dermatology Times
About Vanguard Communications
We provide education-focused healthcare marketing with a strategy guaranteed to bring in new patients. Through our MedMarketLink program, Vanguard combines the disciplines of online and offline PR, strategic marketing and information technology for healthcare providers.