Virtual Voice: Verified: Helping Patients Understand the Importance of Credentials

In a March 2018 RealSelf survey conducted by YouGov,¹ consumers said that aside from paying for a cosmetic procedure, they were most concerned about something going wrong as well as how to find the right doctor or provider.

To make it easier to evaluate a provider, we've introduced RealSelf Verified, a program that clearly indicates that a doctor has met high standards for transparency, trust, and credentials.

RealSelf began accepting applications in May 2019 and 500 doctors across the US are already enrolled in the program. The reason for this strong interest comes from the fact that RealSelf Verified tackles key barriers to being selected and booked for an appointment.

Credentials and Standing

Someone looking for a doctor wants to know credentials and that their provider is in good medical standing. In an April 2019 RealSelf survey conducted by the Harris Poll,² 92 percent of women agreed that any doctor performing a surgical procedure should be board-certified...but only 30 percent could identify which type of certification they should have. RealSelf Verified requires doctors to list their active board certifications, and RealSelf checks the status of their medical license every three months. Putting this important information front and center makes it easy for consumers to feel more confident than ever in selecting a provider.

Area of Specialization

Beyond training, we've found that online consumers are in search of a doctor who is the best at a procedure; they want to find specialists vs. generalists. The RealSelf Verified profile prominently features a doctor's top procedures, which is a vast improvement over showing a laundry list of treatments offered at the practice.

Trust

Social media has not supplanted consumer interest and demand for online reviews. To attain and retain RealSelf Verified status, a doctor must have an average review rating of four stars or higher. In addition, doctor-patient relationship built on trust starts with the practice being responsive to information needs. As such, a RealSelf Verified doctor commits to responding to online email inquiries within two business days.

For more than a decade, RealSelf has empowered consumers by providing them with unparalleled access to treatment information and patient reviews, but our work isn't done. The RealSelf Verified program is the first of an ongoing series of new consumer education efforts from RealSelf.

If you're committed to trust and transparency and want to learn more about RealSelf Verified requirements and benefits, please visit https://expert.realself.com/network.

1. Survey conducted online by YouGov on behalf of RealSelf from March 14–19, 2018, among 1,544 U.S. women between the ages of 25 and 70.

2. Survey conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of RealSelf from April 24–26, 2019, among 1,262 U.S. adult women, ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample—therefore, no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact RealSelf.