Patients can review doctors in new Allegheny Health Network system

Allegheny Health Network patients can now find out online what people like — or don’t like — about their doctor.

AHN announced Thursday it has implemented a new verified star rating system and comment section for all physicians where patients can give feedback to help others decide who might be right for them. Feedback is given by patients through a mailed survey and then collected to be put on the website.

“From same-day appointments, to our 24/7 Nurse Line, to the many new facilities we are opening throughout western Pennsylvania, AHN is focused on ensuring that patients have convenient access to the health care services that they desire and need,” said Cynthia Hundorfean, AHN’s president and CEO, in a press release.

To access the ratings, patients can visit the “Find a Doctor” section at www.ahn.org and type in any physician’s name. The star ratings are visible on the doctor’s main page and patients can click on “Ratings and Comments” for more information.

The star ratings are on a scale from 1 to 5, with one being the worst, and are based on at least 30 responses. AHN officials said the average physician rating is 4.7 stars.

Patients can also browse physicians in a particular specialty by clicking on “Specialties and Services,” finding the specialty and clicking on “Our Doctors” on the left hand side of the page.

The ratings are compiled by Press Ganey, a health care industry analyst that works with thousands of other health care facilities. UPMC implemented their patient rating system, also using Press Ganey, in 2015.

Doctors do not know which patients submitted reviews. The comments are reviewed so that anything that contains protected patient health information, is removed. However, those patients’ numerical ratings are still factored into the physicians’ ratings.

“As more consumers turn to online physician reviews when selecting a care provider, health care organizations are implementing strategies to ensure the ratings they post are objective, standardized evaluations of their patients’ experiences,” said Patrick T. Ryan, CEO of Press Ganey. “Allegheny Health Network has demonstrated its commitment to delivering an accurate representation of provider performance to help patients make informed decisions about their care, and we are pleased to recognize AHN with our Seal of Integrity.”