| Abstract |
We present empirical evidence for the impact of patient reviews on consumers' physician choices. Our study is based on ZocDoc.com - a unique website that integrates patient reviews, and appointment scheduling for physicians on one platform. Using ZocDoc we construct a novel data set consisting of all reviews written for primary care physicians in Manhattan, New York. We then pair these reviews with data on appointments that are booked through ZocDoc, during February-May, 2013. Our data suggest that patient reviews are becoming an important source of reputation for physicians. About 25% of New York primary care physicians are now listed on ZocDoc, and 84% of them have at least 5 reviews. Because ZocDoc displays each physician's rounded average rating to patients, we can use regression discontinuity to identify the causal impact of patient ratings on patient demand. We find that half a star improvement in ratings, on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, leads to a 10% increase in the likelihood, at the mean, that a doctor will fill an appointment. |