Consumers Union adapts product rating system to rank licensing board websites

State agency websites don't strive for superior turning ability, extra shine, or spin cycle speed. But anyone who's consulted Consumer Reports to compare vacuum cleaners or hybrid cars will recognize the red- and black-dotted rating system the publisher adopted in its recent ratings of state medical board websites. A Survey and Ranking of State Medical and Osteopathic Board Websites in 2015, released March 29, was a joint project of Consumers Union and the Informed Patient Institute. The report's authors also published their findings in a Consumer Reports magazine cover story entitled, "What You Don't Know About Your Doctor Could Hurt You."

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