WellPoint by the end of March will release an online physician ranking guide based on patient input to more than one million members, USA Today reports. The WellPoint guide, developed with Zagat Survey, will rank physicians based on trust, communication, availability and office environment on a 30-point scale.

The guide also will include patient comments. At least 10 responses about a physician will be required before any information is posted about them. The ratings guide will not include information on medical expertise and will not be based on claims data, health plan-generated data or other factors, such as medical malpractice settlements.

WellPoint plans to roll out the survey tool to all of its 35 million members at some point in the future. WellPoint's partnership with Zagat "comes as consumers increasingly turn to the Internet to learn about products and services -- and see customer reviews," according to USA Today. Jason Gorevic, chief marketing and product officer at WellPoint, said, "More consumers are asking for information about what other consumers think about their doctors to help them make better choices."

However, some consumer advocates are concerned that customer satisfaction should not be the only determinant when choosing a physician and that the results are likely to be skewed because unhappy patients are more likely to submit reviews than patients satisfied with their experience (Appleby, USA Today, 10/22).