From the Herald-Palladium (Mich.), March 5

Many doctors are not amused by what they are reading on several online sites in which patients post reviews of the care they have received. In many cases doctors have been targets of unflattering comments.

In response, some physicians are asking patients to sign waivers before doctors will agree to offer their services.

It’s a nice try, but we hardly think the waiver system will really make a dent in heading off this trend.

Besides, we are not convinced doctors have any right to effectively place a gag order on patients from speaking out. Isn’t it beneficial for other patients to be able to read such reviews? Don’t patients have a right to offer opinions for mass consumption regarding the treatment they’ve received? It’s an interesting question, and one that perhaps the courts will one day sort out.

That said, we can understand the frustration doctors feel, especially if they are unfairly targeted by vindictive patients. One of the unsettling realities of the Internet is that reputations often are trashed anonymously.

This is the reality of the modern wired world. Doctors, as much as anyone else, are going to have to get used to it.