AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLASTIC SURGEONS HELPS CONSUMERS AVOID BOGUS ONLINE REVIEWS WITH ‘REAL PATIENT RATINGS’
Partnership Enhances Physician Practices, Patient Satisfaction Based on Patient Feedback
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 8, 2013
Contact: LaSandra Cooper or Marie Grimaldi
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
P: 847-228-9900
E: media@plasticsurgery.org
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – As more consumers turn toward online ratings and reviews to help make informed decisions about cosmetic surgery, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) has teamed up with RealPatientRatings™, a patient experience service and consumer website dedicated to providing authentic reviews and ratings by real patients. RealPatientRatings provides patient satisfaction surveys to help ASPS Member Surgeons take better care of their patients, while generating online ratings and reviews to help consumers find highly qualified plastic surgeons.
“The Internet is essential to helping plastic surgeons make a good first impression on potential patients, but unfortunately, it’s very difficult to find credible reviews online,” said ASPS President Gregory Evans, MD. “RealPatientRatings will provide ASPS Member Surgeons with meaningful online feedback to influence practice changes that enhance patient satisfaction. We’re excited to add them to our elite group of endorsed businesses that help our members better serve patients.”
Through an anonymous and voluntary survey, RealPatientRatings collects feedback from plastic surgery patients after every consultation and surgical procedure, delivering critical information about patient experiences back to the doctor. Plastic surgeons can then use benchmarks within their practice, region and across the nation to find new opportunities to improve patient satisfaction and grow their practices. ASPS Member Surgeons who choose to participate will be able to manage their practice, reputation, repeat patients and referrals more easily with the service.
Only patients who’ve had a consultation or a procedure from a participating surgeon can go online and write a review through RealPatientRatings. Participating surgeons cannot selectively choose which patients will be surveyed and cannot censor comments. This means the results reflect the actual experiences of all participating patients.
A typical plastic surgeon may see up to 1,000 patients each year, yet few have collected more than a small handful of credible online reviews. This is largely due to the fact that most review sites do not verify the authors of the reviews. Additionally, most current online patient feedback paints an inaccurate picture based on factors that have little to do with actual medical outcomes.
RealPatientRatings has created simple tools that allow them to publish patient comments on each doctor’s website. Consumers can also find ratings and reviews on RealPatientRatings.com.
On RealPatientRatings.com, “prospective patients can read reviews and see ratings from others who have already visited the surgeon they are considering,” said RealPatientRatings founder Marie Olesen.
ASPS endorsed businesses offer preferred pricing and special plans designed specifically for ASPS Member Surgeons. Each business is required to meet a “gold standard” of quality and cost-effectiveness. ASPS endorses only one company per business service.
About ASPS
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is the world’s largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons. Representing more than 7,000 Member Surgeons, the Society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS comprises more than 94 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States. Founded in 1931, the Society represents physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. ASPS advances quality care to plastic surgery patients by encouraging high standards of training, ethics, physician practice and research in plastic surgery. You can learn more and visit the American Society of Plastic Surgeons at PlasticSurgery.org or Facebook.com/PlasticSurgeryASPS and Twitter.com/ASPS_News.
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