An issue exists when medical providers, or their representatives, utilize the various anonymous, quality-rating websites to their advantage.

An issue exists when medical providers, or their representatives, utilize the various anonymous, quality-rating websites to their advantage. Examples of this may include completing their own surveys and giving themselves high marks to increase their average quality scores, as well as providing positive commentary about themselves, acting as if they were an actual patient. Furthermore, such a dishonest medical provider with a strong local competition could even go so far as to provide negative commentary and feedback on his/her competitors’ websites, with intentions of directing patients away from the local competition and hopefully towards his/her healthcare organization. What kind of ethical implications does such action(s) create? If dishonest medical providers participate in skewing online representations of quality, how does this affect the various ethical principles associated with medicine and patient care previously discussed in this chapter? What technological resources could be developed or utilize to prohibit such dishonesty?