From the Editor: Top Doctors Explained

Here’s how our annual list is compiled.

The world of healthcare seems harder to navigate than ever, so here at Delaware Today, we believe that one of the most valuable services we can provide you is our annual survey for our Top Doctors feature. Every year we’re asked how we do it. You can read more about the methodology here, but here are the basics.

Physicians in the 63 medical and surgical specialties on this year’s list were chosen by a survey of their professional peers. In May Delaware Today mailed a questionnaire to the 1,500 Delaware-based, licensed physicians. The survey asked who they would most recommend to a loved one. Only licensed doctors were permitted to respond. About 130 responses were received and counted.

The voting threshold is set according to the total number of votes made in each category. More doctors appear in specialties where there is a lot of voting, fewer doctors in specialties where voting is low. Because most physicians are based in northern New Castle County, the threshold is lowered proportionally to include a representative number of doctors who are based downstate.

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Unlike many referral publications and other services, Delaware Today does not include names suggested or recommended by readers. The list is based exclusively on the survey of local physicians. Delaware Today regrets that many excellent doctors do not make the list.

Many physicians have enjoyed the continued esteem of their colleagues for a long time, so they frequently make the list, which may lead some to believe the list never changes from year to year. The list does change significantly, however. About 140 of the 260-plus doctors listed in 2016 did not make this year’s list of 295. More than 110 of the doctors are new to the list this year or are appearing for the first time since 2015 or prior.

Though many doctors, medical practice groups, hospitals, healthcare systems and related service providers advertise in the Top Doctors issue, it does not help them make the list. Editorial integrity is Delaware Today’s greatest asset, so the survey is conducted, and winners verified, entirely by the editors of Delaware Today, with no help or influence from the advertising or marketing departments or outside agents. Winners are notified only after the results are verified and the list finalized. The doctors listed and their affiliates may choose to buy advertising in this issue, subsequent issues and-or other Delaware Today-Today Media titles, and they may choose to promote their achievement in those ads, but it has no bearing on the results.

We hope you find the results—and the advice provided by seven of the winners profiled within—helpful. And we wish you continued good health.

—Mark Nardone • Executive Editor

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