INDIANAPOLIS – When consumers in more than 120 major U.S. cities want to find a good plumber, a good carpenter or a good landscaper, many turn to Angie’s List, a Web site that gathers personal reports from people who have used the contractors.
Now, when they want to find a doctor, a dentist or a good pharmacist, they can do the same.
Last Monday, founder Angie Hicks announced that Angie’s List has been expanded to include health care providers, insurers and retailers, in 50 categories of service.
“Consumers want and deserve to have a trustworthy source to find the health care service providers that best fit their specific priorities,” Hicks said in a statement. “Seventy-six percent of our members say they want this added service.”
Angie’s List members report on how well service companies they hired perform regarding price, quality, responsiveness, punctuality and professionalism, assigning an A-to-F grade to each component. The health reports follow the same structure, covering questions such as:
• Was the office staff helpful and courteous?
• Were the waiting and examination areas clean and comfortable?
• Did the physician explain things in a way that you could understand?
• Did your physician (or office staff) follow up with you to determine if the treatment was effective?
• What words of advice would you give other members considering this physician?
As with other Angie’s List reports, the submissions are all reviewed by a team of Angie’s List members before posting.
“We’ve already heard stories ranging from poor customer care to exceptional service,” Hicks said. “These 50 categories are just our first step. We expect to rapidly increase our categories to serve the entire gamut of the health care experience.”
Angie’s List is a consumer-based ratings and referral service with more than 600,000 members nationwide. For more information, go to www.AngiesList.com.
