A few years ago, I had an experience with a urologist (Dr. Robert Sher of Urological Associates) that made me cringe.
And, no, I don’t mean the exam (though that wasn’t fun).
What I mean is that he suggested that I invest a chunk of money in a supplement which he didn’t disclose he had a financial interest.
That ticked me off.
So, I blogged about it and sent a letter to the Maryland state Board.
They basically told me to go away.
I had essentially forgotten about this incident until last night when Gary commented (3 times) on my blog post and sent me an email.
It seems like he had had an equally unpleasant experience with the physician.
On the one hand, this irritates me (perhaps even more than the original exam itself). That Dr. Robert Sher of Urological Associates continues to seemingly abuse his power and the fact that people, for a long time have simply trusted their physicians.
On the other hand, when I think about how I/we can fight back on something like this—and it’s clear that the “authority” approach of writing to the State Medical Board gets us nowhere, Google serves as the great equalizer.
When Gary commented on my blog, he did so because he found it by searching for Dr. Robert Sher of Urological Associates and my blog turned up on page 1 of the results.
This gives me hope.
As more and more people blog/share their experiences with doctors (at whatever level) AND as people google their physicians before going to them (like people checking each other out on FB or via Google before a first date), the sunlight brought upon these practices will be an equalizer.
It’s true for medicine…and any business.
Caveat Venditor. Let the seller beware.
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