The Women’s Choice Award Best Doctors and Dentists™ is a coveted credential that identifies the nation’s best doctors/dental practices based upon robust criteria established via studies and surveys of women across the country, as well as a thorough review of each across multiple competencies and publicly available sources.

Women’s Healthcare Preferences

As women are the Chief Healthcare Officers of their home, it is critical that their needs and preferences are taken largely into consideration when determining who makes the list as a Women’s Choice Award Best Doctor/Dentist. As such, hundreds of women across America were surveyed to determine their behaviors with regard to searching for a healthcare provider, as well as their expectations and top criteria in choosing the doctors/dentists they will ultimately choose for the health of themselves and their families. This data was pertinent in developing a methodology for the award.

The national surveys conducted included questions pertaining to: the importance women place on reviews and star ratings; the propensity to view ratings and reviews when searching for a doctor; their inclination to view a rating or review over the other; the minimum star rating threshold they require before feeling a sense of trust in that provider; the minimum number of reviews that they look for to account for credibility; the number of reviews read; the level of trust placed in reviews; the number of reviews they typically read through before setting an appointment; and their sentiment with regard to the recency of reviews found online.

The data from these surveys were utilized to develop a stringent set of qualification criteria that would meet the needs and expectations of women.

Required Criteria for Best Doctor

Ratings and Reviews

Ratings are compiled based upon reviews across as many as 15 different publicly available rating and medical review sites. Rating sites must show a minimum of 4.0 star ratings consistently, and doctors must have a minimum of 30 viable reviews in which data can be analyzed.   Our study compiles as many sources as are readily available to the public and completes a weighted average across those ratings.   For each doctor, the details of their weighted average rating is displayed, along with how many sources that data was drawn from, and how many total reviews were analyzed.   

Our mission is to give patients both a comprehensive overview of the doctors as well as insights of overall ratings that aim to provide objective, honest and unbiased feedback coming from their own patients.   While it is known that reviews can be ‘bought’, it is through our diligent, manual analysis of each and every one these reviews that we will exclude these sources if suspected.

Furthermore, each doctor’s lowest rated reviews are read and reviewed to ensure that where patient dissatisfaction has occurred, it is an isolated event and not a pattern.

License, Background and Professional Affiliations

Each doctor’s medical record is reviewed in the state where the doctor is practicing.  Each license must be clear and currently active, in addition to being free from disciplinary action and from public complaints or litigation for at least the last 7 years.  One blemish on their record is allowed, provided that it was over 7 years old, and has been satisfied appropriately by the licensing committee.  Two blemishes however and regardless of time, will automatically disqualify the doctor from participation in our program.   

Other qualifications are also taken into consideration.  The Women’s Choice Award “Best Doctors” have proven track records over three years in practice, and typically have active participation in professional memberships, on medical committees, and/or prove to have additional education which proves the doctor excels in his or her specialty.  The doctors earning a spot on the list provide the highest level of care and commitment to their patients’ health and well-being, as rated by their patients.

The Women's Choice Award is the only designation that takes into consideration the preferences of women with regard to reviews and ratings.

Required Criteria for Best Dental Practices

Why Practices, Not Just Providers

Dental care today is increasingly delivered by teams, not individuals — practices grow, providers join and leave, and patients choose a dental home they trust over any single doctor. The Women's Choice Award Best Dental Practices designation reflects this reality, evaluating the full patient experience at a practice rather than the credentials of one provider alone.

Required Criteria

Eligibility Threshold

To be considered, a practice must maintain a minimum average rating of 4.8 stars, based on a minimum of 50 publicly available Google reviews. These thresholds ensure that a practice's rating reflects both an exceptional standard of patient experience and a meaningful, statistically credible volume of reviews — not just a handful of five-star ratings. Practices that fall below either threshold are not yet eligible and are re-evaluated as their rating and review volume evolve. 

Comprehensive Patient Experience Evaluation

Each qualifying practice is evaluated across the full range of the patient experience — including overall satisfaction, communication and trust with providers, the office staff experience, day-to-day operational efficiency, and transparency around billing and cost. These are the dimensions that matter most to women when choosing and staying with a dental home, based on our national research into what women prioritize in a healthcare provider.

Recurring Pattern Review

Beyond the overall star rating, we look at a practice's full body of reviews for recurring concerns — repeated issues with wait times, billing, or consistency of care — rather than relying on the star average alone. A practice with an isolated negative review is treated differently than one with a documented pattern, so the designation reflects consistent, dependable care rather than a single strong average.

Qualification

Practices that meet our review volume threshold and demonstrate consistently strong patient experience across these dimensions qualify for the Women's Choice Award Best Dental Practices designation. Practices that fall short — whether due to rating, review volume, or identified patterns of patient dissatisfaction — are not eligible until their standing improves.

Ongoing Verification

Because practices evolve — providers join or leave, locations change, ownership can shift — a practice's designation is tied to its current, verifiable information. Practices are asked to confirm and update their details upon enrollment, and ratings are refreshed against current, publicly available data rather than a fixed point in time.