If you don’t know Angie’s List, you’re missing out on a great resource.  The site (and monthly magazine) ranks local businesses in your community based on reader input.   That’s not valuable with 3 ratings, but Angie’s List has such great penetration now that we routinely see a dozen or more rankings — with comments — for each business.

We’ve subscribed since they came to our home market in Washington, D.C.  We threw some immediate props to folks — a hair salon we all use, for example.   Several businesses also got what was coming to them for poor work they had done.

Here is the cool part:  Angie’s List just started to create health care listings.  Okay, let’s be blunt. They’re ranking doctors.  What makes this amazing is that if you have a one-off specialty, say, you break your leg and need a good ortho or need to find an allergist (that’s me!), you can check the listings in  Angie’s List.

The lists are magic. Real words by real people.  In our area, the Washingtonian list of Top Doctors works well, but only if a “top doctor” is in your area and takes your insurance.  Angie’s List gives you the good and bad on them all.  Not surprisingly, the medical community is looking to stop all this nonsense of consumers actually hearing what other consumers have to say.

[One of our developers told a doctor he had 'fired' his last doctor.  The new doctor replied that patients don't "fire" doctors.  Guess again.]

So give the place a look-see.  You’ll likely be pleasantly surprised.   I personally found a great plumber there a couple of months ago.  The kicker was the plumber was 20 miles and six towns away.  It was worth it for both of us because they got another great rating, and I got a plumbing repair from a company dozens of my neighbors had praised.

Come to think of it, I need to give them a good ranking and writeup now.  While I”m doing that, check out the new medical rankings on Angie’s List by hitting the link below:

Need to see the doctor? Find reviews on the best doctors in your area at Angie’s List. Check the List!