Real feedback from real patients - and the context to understand it.

When you're choosing a healthcare provider, you're making one of the most personal decisions you can. The feedback on RateMDs is here to support that decision. That means being transparent not just about what patients said, but about where that feedback came from and how it was collected.

How our ratings are calculated

Every provider's rating on RateMDs is a straightforward mathematical average of patient feedback scores on 4 categories that matter to patients: helpfulness, knowledge, punctuality, and staff. All categories are weighted equally. The score you see reflects actual patient experiences — no more, no less.

Understanding Rating Authorship labels

Every piece of feedback on RateMDs carries a Rating Authorship label. Rather than displaying anonymous reviews with no context, these labels give you a meaningful signal about the likely authenticity of each submission — without compromising patient privacy.

Labels are assigned based on two factors:

1. Account status — Did the reviewer submit through a verified RateMDs account, or anonymously?
2. Location proximity — Does the reviewer's location match the provider's city or province?

Location is inferred from IP address data at the time of submission. We never ask users to enter their address manually. This is a privacy-friendly way to provide geographic context without collecting personal data. See our Privacy Policy for more detail.

The four rating types

Verified Patient feedback

Verified Patient feedback is the gold standard on RateMDs. These submissions come from standardised Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) surveys — administered by authorised partners, including long-time partner PressGaney, and subject to rigorous data collection standards.

This feedback has been independently verified as coming from a real patient interaction, not an anonymous submission. There are currently over 650,000 Verified Patient submissions on RateMDs, making it one of the largest collections of verified patient feedback in Canada.

Anonymous feedback still has a place

We publish all feedback — including submissions from users who didn't log in to an account. These are labelled clearly as 'User' feedback, and where we can match a location to the provider's region, we include that context.

Anonymous feedback can still reflect real patient experiences. The label is there to help you weigh it appropriately alongside other feedback types. We believe you deserve the full picture, not a curated one.

How moderation works

All feedback submitted to RateMDs passes through a series of moderation steps designed to protect the integrity of the platform for both patients and providers. Our approach has three layers:

1. Profanity filters keep language appropriate for all users
2. Spam detection removes inauthentic submissions
3. Human moderators review anything flagged by our automated systems

Most feedback is published immediately after submission. In some circumstances, publication may be delayed while our team reviews it against our Terms of Use — for example, when a profile exhibits irregular posting patterns that suggest spam or coordinated activity.

Moderation exists solely to uphold feedback quality and prevent abuse. It is never used to influence whether feedback trends positive or critical. Feedback that is unflattering is never removed for that reason alone.

Rating Concierge

Healthcare providers with a RateMDs subscription have access to Rating Concierge — a tool that delivers instant rating notifications and provides a 7-day preview window. During this window, providers can resolve outstanding issues privately with the patient, escalate to our Validation Team, or prepare a public response.

A note on our history

RateMDs previously offered a feature that allowed subscribed providers to hide up to three negative reviews. This feature was discontinued in 2019. It conflicted with the transparency we are built to provide and is no longer part of how we operate.

What gets removed — and why

Feedback can be flagged by anyone. Our moderation team reviews all flagged submissions and removes feedback that violates our Terms of Use. Grounds for removal include:

• Inappropriate, hateful, or threatening language
• Astroturfing (coordinated positive ratings)
• Spamming (coordinated negative ratings)
• Repeated or duplicate posts
• Hearsay or descriptions of another patient's experience
• Personal information (phone numbers, email addresses, residential addresses)
• Generalisations without a personal medical experience
• Serious accusations of unlawful activity
• Named mentions of other healthcare providers

Feedback based on court-appointed assessments or Independent Medical Examinations — such as those related to workers' compensation, insurance, disability, or personal injury litigation — may also be removed, as these do not reflect a standard doctor-patient relationship.

Ratings are never removed because they give a low score or because a provider finds them unflattering. RateMDs does not accept fees for rating removal.

Our commitment to patients

RateMDs exists to help patients make informed healthcare decisions. That means:

• Publishing all feedback — positive and critical — according to the same consistent rules
• Providing context about the source of each submission, without compromising patient privacy
• Being transparent about how our moderation system works and the decisions it makes
• Never accepting payment to remove or alter patient feedback

Frequently asked questions

Can a provider pay to have negative feedback removed? No. Providers cannot pay to remove or alter any feedback, regardless of its score. RateMDs does not work with rating removal companies, and any claims made by such companies are false. Feedback is only removed when it violates our Terms of Use — rules that apply equally to positive and critical submissions.

What does the Verified Patient label mean? Verified Patient feedback is collected through standardised patient surveys (such as HCAHPS) supplied by authorised partners, including Press Ganey. These surveys follow rigorous data collection standards and are independently verified as coming from a real patient interaction. It is the highest-confidence rating type on the platform.

I submitted feedback but it isn't showing up — what happened? Most feedback is published immediately. Delays can occur if our team needs to review the submission against our Terms of Use, or if the provider is subscribed to our Rating Concierge service, which includes a 7-day preview window.

I see feedback I think should be removed. What can I do? Flag it. Our moderation team reviews all flagged submissions, and if a rating is found to violate our Terms of Use, it will be removed.

Can providers respond to patient feedback? Yes. Providers can post a response to any feedback on their profile once they have claimed it. Provider responses are clearly labelled so patients can distinguish them from patient submissions.

Have a question about a specific piece of feedback or a label? Contact our support team at support@ratemds.com — we're happy to help.