How would one rate physicians – the implications of multidimensionality?

Ratings have become a national obsession.  US News & World Report rates colleges, medical schools, hospitals, subspecialties, etc.  Some private firms develop physician ratings.  Many insurance companies provide physician report cards.  Intuitively most physicians understand that these ratings have serious flaws, yet they persist. H/T to Atul Grover  who tweeted a Malcolm Gladwell article that I had read and forgotten – The Order of Things: What college rankings really tell us. A ranking can be heterogeneous, in other words, as long as it doesn’t try to be too comprehensive. And it can be comprehensive as long as it doesn’t try to measure things that are heterogeneous. But it’s an act of real audacity when a ranking system tries to be comprehensive and heterogeneous—which is the first thing to keep in mind in any consideration of U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Colleges” guide. Consider hospital medicine.  What skills make one an excellent physicians?  Here is my attempt at a list – please suggest additions in the comments and will revise and give credit: Diagnostic accuracy and persistence – like a fictional detective, the best hospital physicians strive to get the correct diagnosis and often portray skepticism over previous diagnoses Bedside manner – generally we see patients for the first time.  We have to create a comfortable, non-judgmental atmosphere to enhance history taking. Honesty – we should mak...
Source: DB's Medical Rants - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Tags: Medical Rants Source Type: blogs