Better specialty data

One of our goals for this year has been to improve the quality of the data that we present to users. We find information about providers from a myriad of sources. The multiplicity of sources is a strength because we can find different categories of information from different sites. Sometimes, however, information from any one of these sources can be incorrect (even hospital directories can be inaccurate). Up until late 2012, our solution has been to simply show all of the data, even if some pieces conflict. In some cases, showing a variety of values is a feature. For example, a doctor can practice in multiple locations, and certain data sources might only show one address. In terms of the data fields that are less likely to have multiple values (such as specialty), our intuition was that by showing all available data, users would at least be tipped off to potential conflicts and could research further. Beginning late last year, we have been looking at ways to figure out which pieces of data are likely more accurate than others. A lot of research has gone into this study, and we're pleased to announce that we've released some changes to improve specialty data.

It will take some time for all of the data to migrate, but over time, you might notice some changes. We're always on the lookout on how to improve our data, so if you have any examples or ideas on how to arbitrate among conflicting values, please let us know.