How we rank doctors
BestDocs ranks physicians within each specialty by a published score from 0 to 100, weighted toward independent, third-party verified patient reviews. Nobody can pay to change a rank.
Independent verified reviews come first
Verified patient reviews come from patients surveyed by an independent third party. The practice does not choose who is asked, and neither do we. These reviews carry 60% of a physician's rating and are used exactly as reported. Public, anonymous reviews (such as Google) carry the other 40%, and count for less on their own, because anyone can post them.
Who is listed
Physicians (MD or DO) with an active NPI, practicing within 500 miles of St. Louis, in one of 15 specialties, whose practice website we could load and match to them. Hospital-based physicians without a public practice website are not listed.
Who is ranked
Listed physicians with at least five reviews on their own Google listing or on an independent verified-patient review platform, and a reported rating of at least 4.0 out of 5. Pediatrician lists include general pediatricians only. Everyone else is still on the map, unranked.
How the two kinds of reviews combine
A review from a verified patient is stronger evidence than an anonymous one. Anonymous ratings (Google) are pulled toward the specialty average as if they had 60 extra average reviews, so a few anonymous posts can't carry a physician to the top. When a physician has both, the rating is 60% verified and 40% anonymous. Verified ratings come from patients surveyed by an independent third party, not chosen by the practice, so we use them exactly as reported. The same rule applies to every physician. Verified sources are added when a practice links one through its claim and we check it by hand. We link to verified reviews rather than reprinting them.
The score
| Part | Points | How |
|---|---|---|
| Patient rating | 50.0 | 60% independent third-party verified reviews (as reported) + 40% public anonymous reviews (adjusted for review count), scaled from 3.5 to 5 stars |
| Experience | 31.25 | Years since medical school (CMS), capped at 30. When the year is not on record, the specialty's typical value is used, never a penalty |
| Verified credentials | 18.75 | Accepts Medicare assignment (CMS; not counted for pediatricians); board certification verified when a physician claims the listing |
Procedure volume (20 points in the full method) is not yet sourced, so its weight is shared pro rata among the three parts above.
Medicaid
"Enrolled" means the physician appears on the state's Medicaid enrollment list (Missouri and Illinois so far). It does not mean the practice is taking new Medicaid patients.
Booking links
We check each practice website for online scheduling, intake forms and appointment request forms, and link to the best one we find. "Book online available" never changes a score.
Sponsored placements
Practices may buy a labeled Sponsored slot. Sponsored slots are shown apart from the ranked list and never change a rank or a score.
Sources
CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), CMS Doctors and Clinicians National Downloadable File, MO HealthNet and Illinois Medicaid enrollment lists, Google business listings, and practice websites. Data as of October 2026.