Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • ESG: THE IMPLEMENTATION IMPERATIVE
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Digital Health
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Transformation
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Unwell in America
  • Opinion
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Digital Health Transformation Summit
    • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Digital Health
    • - Future of Staffing
    • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • Data Center
    • Data Center Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Providers
May 31, 2016 01:00 AM

Commentary: Yelp CEO says online reviews could beat 'gold standard' healthcare measures

Jeremy Stoppelman
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Jeremy Stoppelman

    As the Internet continues to become our main source for information, the opinions, reviews and ideas of its many users are increasingly valuable. Just ask the 70% of Americans who, according to a recent study, read reviews before making a purchasing decision. With insight into others' experiences with products and services, they're more confidently deciding where to go to dinner, which roofer to hire or which hospital to trust with the care of a loved one. Online consumer platforms have accumulated rich and insightful data—from the thousands of reviews they receive each day—that can aid the healthcare industry in more efficiently allocating its resources.

    Online reviews aren't just empowering consumers to make more informed decisions in their everyday lives; they're actually protecting them. User-generated content platforms, like Yelp, can be better evaluators for hygiene and service quality than some of the “gold standards” relied upon by health professionals and government officials. Consumers already use review platforms to gather information and share their experiences; it's time for health professionals and government agencies to get on board.

    Researchers from Harvard recently conducted a data tournament in which they asked participants to show how Yelp reviews could predict restaurant health and sanitary violations in Boston. After comparing the results of 23 winning algorithms to the results of 364 restaurant inspections, they found that the algorithms did a better job at uncovering potential health violations. In fact, the researchers predicted that Boston could have found 50% more violations if they had used the winning algorithms over the city's current inspection allocation system.

    How is this possible? The answer is simple. Consumer sites encourage the free flow of information, allowing people to provide nuanced accounts of their experiences. This means that they're likely to include pertinent firsthand details, such as the quality of the food or any rodent sightings, among other distinctions that could help to identify a health violation. For years, consumers have turned to reviews to aid them in their dining and shopping decisions; this tournament proves that city inspectors should follow suit.

    And that's not all. In efforts to empower and protect consumers, review sites are going beyond just user-generated content to ensure their users have access to the most relevant information. For example, Yelp partners with municipalities to more publicly publish restaurant inspection scores and other health information on our platform. These datasets supplement the millions of reviews already posted, highlighting the fact that restaurants' shouldn't just prioritize delicious food. They should prioritize quality, safety and consumer health.

    Perhaps the most telling case of when consumer platforms have been proven to be more effective at fully evaluating quality of service is hospital-provided care. A study from the University of Pennsylvania found that hospital reviews on Yelp can be more helpful than government data, specifically the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey, or HCAHPS, which is widely regarded as the industry standard for patient feedback. For the facilities surveyed, researchers generally found no real variance between Yelp ratings and HCAHPS scores. However, they did find that Yelp reviews were actually more useful when it came to assessing certain service categories like billing and bedside manner that weren't captured in the HCAHPS survey. By encouraging consumers to share the nuanced details of their experiences, Yelp reviews capture new categories that are essential to a consumer's experience. The information in these categories is informative for prospective patients as well as hospitals that are working to improve their services.

    Platforms like Yelp are tapping into the Internet's best resource—its many users—to solve problems. Let's make sure that our health professionals and government officials are doing the same.

    Jeremy Stoppelman is CEO of Yelp, which he co-founded in 2004. He recently spoke about the value of online reviews and public health data at the 7th Annual Health Datapalooza.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    373837936 (1).jpg
    New guidelines aim to limit trans healthcare at Catholic hospitals
    InDepth: Private Equity
    Legal questions surround private equity-backed Noble Health
    Most Popular
    1
    More healthcare organizations at risk of credit default, Moody's says
    2
    Centene fills out senior executive team with new president, COO
    3
    SCAN, CareOregon plan to merge into the HealthRight Group
    4
    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan unveils big push that lets physicians take on risk, reap rewards
    5
    Bright Health weighs reverse stock split as delisting looms
    Sponsored Content
    Modern Healthcare A.M. Newsletter: Sign up to receive a comprehensive weekday morning newsletter designed for busy healthcare executives who need the latest and most important healthcare news and analysis.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Digital Health
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Unwell in America
    • Opinion
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top 25 Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Data Center
      • Data Center Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing