What if books — or iPhone apps or movies or music downloads — came with user agreements forbidding the buyer from reviewing them online?
It’s a crazy idea, right? But that’s exactly what a growing number of doctors — concerned over negative reviews at Angie’s List and ReviewMDs.com — are doing. A company called Medical Justice
provides doctors with a standardized waiver agreement. Patients who sign agree not to post online comments about the doctor, “his expertise and/or treatment” … Medical Justice advises doctors to have all patients sign the agreements. If a new patient refuses, the doctor might suggest finding another doctor.
Doctors are notified when a negative rating appears on a Web site, and, if the author’s name is known, physicians can use the signed waivers to get the sites to remove offending opinion.
It’s pretty hard to reconcile the principle of “Do no harm” with the practice of denying treatment to those unwilling to sign away their First Amendment rights.
Doctors worth seeing are too busy treating patients to worry about on-line reviews. Patients would be wise to see these gag orders for what they are: strong evidence that the doctor pushing them has something to hide.
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