Now, dentists can also be rated online

Online doctor evaluation now also possible for dentists

27/02/2012

More and more legally insured use the offer to rate their home and specialist online in the Internet. As an additional offer, dentists can now be graded. This was reported by the physician review portal of the White List and portals of Barmer GEK, AOK and Techniker Krankenkasse.

Special evaluation questions with dentists
Since the beginning of the Techniker Krankenkasse, around 38 million patients have been able to use the White List and the AOK and Barmer GEK assessment portals to rate visits to their GP or specialist. To expand the offer, now also dentists can be graded. However, less evaluation features are incorporated here, because dentists should, in the opinion of the initiators, be considered more differentiated. The reason: Many people are afraid of the treatments at the dentist. The subjective impression of severe interventions combined with fears and financial worries could be clouded.

The visit to the dentist differs in some aspects of a specialist or family doctor visit. Many people avoid fear of the dental therapy and go to the dentist only when the tooth or jaw pain has exceeded the tolerable. Others are worried about increased costs because dentures and some therapies are either non-reimbursable or incur high self-participation. As explained the speaker for quality and transparency in health care at the Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband, Dr. med. Ilona Köster-Steinebach that „the relationship with the dentist is determined by a variety of factors. Social and financial aspects also play a role.“

High demand for recommendations
The „right dentist“ finding an understanding mind for his patients and a practiced treatment of anxiety patients, this demand seems to be very high. For example, Köster-Steinebach reports that more than a third of the requests for independent patient counseling in 2010 related to information and feedback on dental treatment. Accordingly, there is a high need for the experience of others, the seeking patients can fall back on.

The Deputy Chairman of the BARMER GEK Rolf-Ulrich Schlenker explained that the special aspects of a dental therapy were echoed in the questionnaires of the portals. "For the first time, the assessment is linked to a specific treatment situation and a specific dentist and not queried abstractly," says Schlenker.

40 questions about doctor and practice
The online catalog includes 40 questions from the areas „Practice and staff“, „Communication of the doctor“, „treatment“ and „overall impression“. For example, users can rate how they felt about the interior design, how friendly the medical assistants were, and whether they felt altogether „In good hands“ have felt. In dentists, the factor anxiety patient plays a special role. For example, the insured person is asked whether employees were able to have a calming effect on the patient and that financial aspects were handled discreetly. Also important is the question of whether the treating dentist adequately informed the patient on cash benefits and additional financing. However, as in the past, appraisers can not enter a self-written text at the dental practices. Consciously this was waived. The evaluation algorithm and the questionnaire were developed by experts of health insurances, researchers, representatives of patient initiatives and dentists.

Of the 40 questions in total, not all questions need to be answered. In order for the grading to be included in the overall evaluation, at least 10 answered questions are necessary. If at least ten patients have evaluated the practice, then an average rating is calculated. If a doctor considers the evaluation unfair, he may object „objection“ rise. Then this will be deleted. However, seekers are informed that the evaluation is withheld due to the doctor's contravention.

Medical profession welcomes enlargement
When the first physician review portals went online in 2011, the medical profession criticized the system as half-baked and was afraid of inappropriate criticism from dissatisfied patients. Meanwhile, the review portals are becoming more and more popular among medical professionals. The Federal Dental Association explained that the Internet „Role of enlightened patient strengthens“. However, be the „individual trust relationship“ between doctor and patient „as before the authoritative and ultimately decisive relationship“. So-called „soft factors“ The portals can provide a first approach to finding a doctor. „Ultimately, these are not the decisive parameters“, like Professor dr. Dietmar Oesterreich, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal Chamber of Dentists emphasized.

The doctor navigator is operated by the health insurances AOK, Barmer GEK, Techniker Krankenkasse, the Bertelsmann Stiftung as well as by individual federal associations of patient and consumer organizations. About 38 million statutory health insured persons of the named funds can participate in the online evaluation. All patients have access to the databases. Doctors have the opportunity to present their practice in detail with pictures.

The addresses of the doctors review portals:
"White List "of the Bertelsmann Foundation: www.weisse-liste.de/arzt
Barmer GEK medical navigator: arztnavi-barmer-gek.de
Medical Leader of Techniker Krankenkasse: www.tk.de/aerztefuehrer
AOK doctor navigator: www.aok-arztnavi.de

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Picture: Claudia Heck