Reason.com
Don’t rate this M.D.
Medical Gag Orders
Would you sign a contract at a supermarket checkout forbidding you to complain to friends and neighbors about its prices, services, or products? That’s what some frustrated physicians are demanding their patients do.
Monitoring ratings and reviews on sites such as TripAdvisor and Yelp is part of doing business for an ever-larger number of American companies. Increasingly, patients are applying the same principle to medical services, rating their doctors on websites like Angie’s List and RateMDs.com. The physician group Medical Justice has responded with contracts that aim to protect doctors’ reputations by gagging patients. Most legal analysts believe the agreements are unenforceable, but they do make it less likely that patients will post a negative review.
Physicians complain that they cannot counter undeserved online criticism because they are bound by federal privacy regulations. Unable to get around the limits imposed by doctor-patient confidentiality, they’re trying to establish patient-doctor confidentiality as well.
More Articles by Ronald Bailey
- Separating Church and State Money, Ronald Bailey, May 24, 2012
- The Ethics of Egg Freezing, Ronald Bailey, May 22, 2012
- China Needs the Rule of Law, Ronald Bailey, May 16, 2012
Most Popular Stories
- St. Louis Cops Worry That In-Car Cameras 'Are Being Used Against Them' (5.23)
- Here Are the 15 Senators Who Voted to Stop Armed FDA Agents From Conducting Warrantless Raids on America's Farmers (Not One of Them is a Democrat) (5.24)
- Reason "Hero of Freedom" Larry Flynt's Latest Stunt? Photoshopping a Penis into Mouth of Conservative Pundit S.E. Cupp (5.24)
- Plastic Bag Ban Will Put Los Angeles In Landfill (5.23)
- Rand Paul Introduces Amendment to End the FDA's Insane Police Powers: "I see no reason to have the FDA carrying weapons." [UPDATED] (5.24)
Reason RUPE: Public Opinion Survey
- Reason-Rupe: Wisconsinites Favor Increasing Public Union Retirement Contributions to Address Budget Deficit (5.25)
- Reason-Rupe Poll Finds Support for Public Union Reforms (5.25)
- New Poll: Obama Leads Romney In Wisconsin, But Gary Johnson Could Impact the Race (5.24)
- Wisconsin Recall: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42 Among Likely Voters (5.24)
- Reason-Rupe Poll: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42, Obama Leads Romney 46-36 (5.24)
advertisements
Get Reason E-mail Updates!
Manage your Reason e-mail list subscriptionsSite comments/questions:
Media Inquiries and Reprint Permissions:
(310) 367-6109
Editorial & Production Offices:
3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 391-2245
Editor's Note: We invite comments and request that they be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of Reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment or disable your ability to comment for any reason at any time.
nfl jerseys|11.4.10 @ 10:27PM|#
bhdr
Sheepskin Boots Sale|11.22.10 @ 7:31AM|#
We also access the comment made central identical analyze acclaimed name cast away ahead of the curve of Women Uggs . We will access the application for the precision Ugg Sheepskin Boots we are in the bazaar in both winter and summer. These auction access ugg been
Sheepskin Boots Sale|11.22.10 @ 7:39AM|#
added details about the Ugg Sheepskin Boots , for example, apparently used the best Sheepskin Boots Sale boots accurately auction
Sheepskin Boots Sale|11.22.10 @ 7:46AM|#
Because the administration of the affidavit of all equipment in the Classic Ugg Boots Online Store Boots Shorten, will charge a mild cleanser or cleaner natural that affidavit could be assertive with the highest absolute accuracy delicate added. And Ugg Boots Outlet need to adulterate your vacuum bubbler baptize according Arctic stop in the administration of the instructions
Scarpe Nike|8.3.11 @ 4:59AM|#
is good
قبلة الوداع|8.17.11 @ 10:13PM|#
ThaNk U
sd|1.25.12 @ 4:24AM|#
sd