PRINTPhysicians your doctor trusts
The methodology and frequently asked questions
December 18, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Check out Vox's Top Doctors and Best Doctors lists.
There is no perfect way to find a good doctor. Most of us select a physician by word of mouth. To provide additional options for Columbians seeking medical care, Vox went a few steps further, asking physicians in a survey which doctors they would choose for their families. The lists we present are both by word of mouth, but instead of relying on the familiar, we went directly to those in the know.
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Why did you include two different lists?
Although the lists offer similar results — in fact, 65 doctors made both lists — the methodology for each is quite different. We believe that providing Columbians with several options is important because choosing a doctor is one of the most vital decisions a person can make. The physicians on these lists are recognized by their peers, but keep in mind that not all of them might be right for you.
What is different about the surveys?
Vox sent questionnaires to 826 Columbia physicians asking one question: “If your spouse, child or another family member were ill, to which physician or specialist (other than yourself) would you send them for treatment?” The doctors had three votes to place in each of 50 specialties of medicine. One hundred and one surveys were returned, a respectable response rate of slightly more than 12 percent.
Best Doctors Inc. of Boston, Mass., and Aiken, S.C., asks doctors a similar question: “If you or a loved one needed a doctor in your specialty, to whom would you refer them?” The list is released every two years, and the voting process is exclusive; only doctors who made the list the previous year vote. More than 40,000 doctors across the country voted in the 2008 survey.
The biggest difference between these surveys is that Best Doctors is more geographically comprehensive, and it asks doctors to recommend other physicians in their own specialties. The Top Doctors list is local, but it is also more general because it asks doctors to refer across specialties.
What is the same about the surveys?
Neither accepts money from physicians, practices or hospitals for inclusion on the list. The advertising department works independently from the editorial department.
Doctors on both lists have been checked for licensing, certification requirements and for any disqualifying disciplinary actions.
How did you choose the specialties? I need a podiatrist, and I don’t see that category listed.
After studying specialties approved by American Board of Medical Specialties, those commonly practiced in Columbia, as well as other Top Doctors surveys, we chose 50 of the most common medical specialties. Of the 50, we included 42 in the final list. We did not include some specialties where patients might not have much choice in a practitioner or those in which no individual doctor received a significant amount of votes. Although podiatry is a respected profession, the lists only include physicians with M.D. or D.O. degrees.
How did you choose the doctors profiled in the story?
All of the doctors profiled were among the top vote getters in their categories. We specifically steered toward common specialties, those known to most medical care consumers. We also chose doctors who represent the diversity of the medical field.
My doctor is good! Why isn’t he or she on the list?
There are plenty of good doctors in Columbia, and some excellent doctors might not have made the list for several reasons. First, doctors tend to refer within their own hospital or medical group because they know some of their peers better than others. Similarly, in some specialties there were votes for many doctors, but only a handful received sufficient votes to make the list.
If your doctor does not appear on either of these lists, it does not mean he or she is not a great doctor. The peer-review survey process and compilation inevitably leaves out many outstanding doctors. If you think your doctor deserves recognition, share his or her story in the comment box below or by contacting an editor.
