Free Database Rates Physicians

Avvo Inc., which operates a database that rates and profiles 90 percent of licensed attorneys in the United States, has launched a beta version of a similar physician directory with information on more than 800,000 MDs. Osteopaths (DOs) will be added in coming months.

The physician rating directory is advertiser-supported and free for physicians and patients. The rating of each physician is an assessment of the probability that a physician will handle a medical matter effectively, based on his or her resume, according to the Seattle-based company. The resume includes years of experience, hospital privileges, awards, residency, fellowships, and hospital ratings, among other information.

"The Avvo Rating is unbiased--every doctor is rated in the same way and advertising cannot affect the rating and our search results," according to the company. "We do not hide any of the elements we are scoring. If it is not on the physician's resume, we are not incorporating it into the Avvo Rating."

More information is available at avvo.com.

--Joseph Goedert