Health Ratings Center: In response to your questions

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the need for a Health Ratings Center and had some great reader feedback. In response, I'm addressing a couple of the questions here.

Steve, we are currently evaluating the feasibility of rating doctors, as it's a topic we know could help consumers greatly. There is good existing information on certain surgeries and on doctor groups that could provide some basis, however it is very difficult to rate individual doctors because there's a lack of consistent and accurate doctor data.

There are some exceptions, though, and we are hoping that these exceptions will help us move in the right direction.

There are various websites that provide user reviews of doctors. While this anecdotal information can provide interesting information, and might at some point be part of a Consumer Reports Health community, it is unlikely to be part of a Health Ratings Center initiative.

You pose an interesting question about newsletters, Wayne. For full disclosure, we publish a health newsletter, Consumer Reports onHealth. We are aware of the many health newsletters out there and frankly, we share your concerns. For us, the most important issue for credibility is whether a publication bases its advice on evidence and expert opinion and is independent of industry influence. We're concerned about newsletters that are mainly a vehicle for selling products or espousing a single point of view that is not based on available scientific evidence. If you feel this is the case or if advertising is a prominent part of a newsletter you should exercise caution just as you would with any commercial publication.

There are a variety of information products we are considering rating so your comment is helpful in encouraging those discussions. Thanks, and I look forward to hearing any further suggestions.

—John Santa, MD, MPH, Director, Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center