Doctors to review on the new website

People are encouraged to compare, rate and rate physicians and other health care providers on a new website.

Whitecoat, supported by health insurer nib New Zealand, today launched a website between 8000 and 10.000 providers including doctors, generalists, dentists and physiotherapists.

A similar site was launched in Australia five years ago. Through a joint venture with health care provider Bupa and insurer HBF,

Rob Hennin, chief executive of NIB in New Zealand, said the site would promote transparency, which would boost competition and would improve the customer experience. about the supplier … Did the supplier explain the procedure? Do you think you get what you pay for? How did you feel after the operation? "

He said that, as in Australia, the site will be moderated, will not evaluate the clinical expertise of a provider nor the quality of clinical care.

Whitecoat will not withdraw Also no money from the website, says Mr. Hennin.

"For us, it's about helping our customers make their choices."

The website is supported by the eminent Northland general practitioner, Lance O. Sullivan, who said that people are already talking to health care providers about each other and are sharing their experiences

"People have circles where they have conversations about, hey, this doctor is good and this one is not.This nurse is kind and this one is not. "

But the president of the New Zealand Medical Association Kate Baddock, who says she has never heard of Whitecoat, is worried about the lack of clinical expertise in public assessments [196]. 59005] "If they get an explanation [from a doctor] that they do not like, then it would be a negative experience, and yet it actually reflects the skill of the doctors."

She also wanted to know who will be moderating the Q & A What will they use as moderation criteria, and how will they govern this in a clinical way?

Ian Powell, of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, stated that the website

"This raises serious concerns about the fair treatment of physicians if comments can be made about them without context no attempt at verification.

"For example, what if a doctor engages a child protection procedure? are concerned about the welfare of a child, and one of the parents involved subsequently notes the doctor or posts negative comments? "

" Read the Privacy Policy "

Jessica Wilson, research director at Consumer New Zealand Users read the policy of privacy of Whitecoat on its website.

She stated that Whitecoat was partly owned by private insurers and that other options were being considered, such as the possibility for users to make health insurance claims. The Privacy Policy states that Whitecoat may have access to your personal health information records in order to process this claim or that information may be shared with the insurers with which it works.

But Whitecoat's CEO, Matthew Donnellan, said at this point, the Web site did not intend to ask consumers anything other than their basic contact information.

"As stated in our policy, we distinguish between public users – who just want to browse users of the site and Whitecoat, who may have a relationship with the licensees, resulting in more data requests" , he declared.