It is an honor to be selected again (10th time!) as a Top Doctor in Seattle Met’s, Seattle Magazine, and Puget Sound Consumer Checkbook’s annual rankings. Nearly 4,000 doctors in the Seattle metropolitan area participated in our new and improved survey, the result of a partnership between Seattle Met and Avvo.com. Avvo rates and profiles 90 percent of doctors in the U.S., including every doctor in Washington State.

The 2012 survey is more comprehensive than ever, with active participation from almost 40 percent of doctors practicing in King, Kitsap, and Snohomish counties, and parts of Pierce County. Avvo’s proprietary algorithms rate doctors on a 10-point scale, employing not only peer endorsements but factors such as experience, education, training, disciplinary history, fellowships, hospital privileges, and awards. Avvo’s dynamic ratings of the 9,933 doctors in the survey area are regularly refreshed based on new information gleaned from doctors as well as from certifying and licensing boards. The doctors Seattle Met selects represent the top 5 percent of practitioners in their fields. The survey asked fellow doctors to name the colleagues they would choose to treat themselves and their loved ones. The resulting list of the top practitioners in their fields is presented alphabetically by specialty and alphabetically by last name.

The nice thing about this method of Top Doc selection is that it cannot be purchased, and is strongly influenced by objective measurements like training in genuine ABMS specialties like Plastic Surgery (not “cosmetic surgery” or “facial plastic surgery” or “oculoplastics”), and number and favor of patient reviews.

I am blessed to have such a terrific occupations and to have the chance to care for many enthusiastic patients!

dd