LYNDHURST, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The people have spoken. Today, Vitals announced the winners of its 8th annual Vitals Patients’ Choice award, a recognition of top rated doctors.
Winners are chosen based on millions of reviews and ratings collected in the calendar year from patients. Vitals applied algorithms on top of its robust database to determine the list of physicians eligible for the award season. Annually, only 5 percent of doctors nationwide are named a Vitals Patients’ Choice winner.
After the results were tallied, Vitals compared the data collected on award-winning physicians to all doctors in its comprehensive provider database and found the winners had an average of 28 reviews, while the average doctor nationwide only has eight reviews. Vitals currently counts over 6 million doctor ratings and reviews in its database, the largest collection of doctor information of that kind online.
Analysis also revealed that Vitals Patients’ Choice winners also have two-years more experience than other physicians and see their patients sooner. Nationally, the average wait time is 19 minutes, 16 seconds. Vitals Patients’ Choice doctors see their patients almost 4 minutes sooner, with average wait times of 15 minutes, 29 seconds, on average (roughly 20% sooner).
“Everyone wants a knowledgeable doctor. And in today’s busy world, people want a doctor that values their time and doesn’t keep them waiting. Vitals Patients’ Choice identifies the physicians who patients value for many reasons,” said Mitch Rothschild, Founder and Executive Chairman for Vitals. “We believe these awards are useful in helping consumers search for and select the best qualified doctor.”
School Matters
Domestically, the medical schools producing the most Vitals Patients’ Choice winners hailed from the Midwest, perhaps lending credence to the region’s claim on charm and friendliness. The University of Illinois–Chicago, Indiana University, Ohio State University and Wayne State, along with the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, made up the top five U.S. schools.
|
Top American Universities |
||
| 1 | University of Illinois – Chicago | |
| 2 | Indiana University | |
| 3 | Ohio State University | |
| 4 | Wayne State | |
| 5 | Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine | |
| 6 | New York University | |
| 7 | Drexel | |
| 8 | University of Texas at Houston | |
| 9 | Louisiana State University at New Orleans | |
| 10 | University of Texas Southwestern | |
About 20 percent of the doctors who received the Vitals Patients’ Choice award were schooled overseas. India, the Philippines and Pakistan produced the most foreign-schooled winners.
|
Top 10 Foreign Countries |
||
| 1 | India | |
| 2 | Philippines | |
| 3 | Pakistan | |
| 4 | Canada | |
| 5 | Syria | |
| 6 | Dominican Republic | |
| 7 | Egypt | |
| 8 | Mexico | |
| 9 | Italy | |
| 10 | Lebanon | |
Gender Gap
Further survey of the data revealed a gender gap this award season. While 33 percent of the physicians in Vitals’ provider database are female, only 25 percent of the awards went to women.
About Vitals
Vitals empowers everyone to shop like an expert for their health care. We bring together cost and quality transparency along with innovative consumer engagement programs to help people select high-quality, lower-cost care. Vitals leads the market with incentive and engagement programs that pay people to shop. Our solutions achieve measurable and sustainable savings for consumers, employers and health plans. Through health plans, employer clients and our award-winning consumer websites, Vitals helps more than 120 million people each year access better, more affordable care.
Follow us on Facebook, Google+ Twitter or LinkedIn.
