| Generating Best Doctors lists has become a | | | | best doctor for you though, is much more |
| money maker and fast growing business for | | | | important than choosing a restaurant or picking a |
| magazines and book publishers. The lists are | | | | movie to see that night. It has to be an informed |
| compiled in the following manner: Forms are sent | | | | choice. |
| out to randomly selected board-certified doctors. | | | | The first thing getting in the way of that is the |
| Doctors are asked to nominate other doctors | | | | politics of the medical profession. It influences |
| who in their judgment are the best in their area | | | | heavily who gets on these lists. There are |
| of specialty. The results are then tabulated and | | | | politically powerful doctors, institutions, medical |
| the doctor's certifications and disciplinary history | | | | groups. In medicine, 'reputation is the coin of the |
| are reviewed. Thus a new list is generated, one | | | | realm,' so doctors compete heavily for awards, |
| that can be sold in many ways. | | | | stature, and positions on lists. |
| For $159 doctors can purchase personalized | | | | The second obstacle for those seeking good |
| mahogany plaques for their offices that display | | | | doctors is that the lists generally undercount the |
| the magazine cover with the doctor's name and | | | | best doctors because of a need to cover every |
| specialty etched below. For $200 and more, there | | | | geographic location evenly. But there are a lot of |
| are plaques, pens and trophies to order that can | | | | good doctors at Sloan-Kettering, and in our major |
| be even be mounted 'sports award' style. The | | | | cities, where the best medical talent congregates. |
| publisher Castle Connolly has almost 20 doctor | | | | List makers want to sell their lists by every |
| directory books for sale with some costing | | | | region, because that brings the most revenue. |
| $79.95. | | | | The third obstacle is that the list makers give you |
| Generating "Best Doctor" lists is a good business | | | | no sense as to what it would be like to visit this |
| but all these lists don't really make it any easier to | | | | doctor. How is the office run, how are the |
| find good doctors. The lists are in the end | | | | patients treated, how did the doctor treat you? In |
| promotional vehicles for the doctors, their Zagat's | | | | the end, a good doctor scores well on all these |
| Rated, a more exclusive Yellow Pages. Finding the | | | | points. |