Methodology · version 1.2
How a winner is chosen.
Eligibility, the tier math, the inputs that count, and what never counts.
Eligibility
It starts with verification.
Practicing doctors across the United States in the specialties the platform covers. Every doctor is verified before they can be nominated or win.
Identity
Verified against primary sources. Every profile listed.
Re-checked before every award
Identity is verified again at nomination and before any winner list is issued.
Re-checked quarterly
The profile shows the date of the latest check. A doctor who no longer passes leaves the rankings until resolved.
The math
How nominees and winners are decided.
Each threshold is fixed and published. Actual counts are published each cycle.
Nominee
Verified doctor + 3 verified peer endorsements
The entry tier.
Top Doctor of the Month
Most new endorsements in a month, in a specialty × state (at least 3)
Awarded in each specialty, in each state. Ties go to more written testimonials that month, then the higher score. A doctor may win in consecutive months.
City Winner
Top 10% of nominees in a city × specialty (per cycle)
Ranked against nominees in the same city and field. Rounded up. A city runs a winner list once it has at least ten nominees.
State Winner
Top 5% of nominees in a state × specialty (per cycle)
Ranked against nominees in the same state and field. Rounded up. A state runs a winner list once it has at least twenty nominees across the state.
National Winner
Top 1% of nominees in a specialty, nationally
The highest recognition we give. Rounded up.
Beneath these sits identity verification: free for every profile, with the date shown.
What counts
What the scoring uses.
One input: verified peer endorsements.
Verified peer endorsements
- Any verified doctor can endorse, in any specialty, wherever they practice. Every endorser creates an account and has their identity verified.
- A doctor may endorse as many colleagues as they like, once each per cycle.
- Each endorsement is a 1 to 5 rating and a written testimonial. A low rating lowers the score just as a high rating raises it.
- Testimonials appear on a doctor’s profile for endorsements rated 4 and above. The average and the count shown always include every endorsement.
- No one is paid to endorse.
- Endorsements flagged for unusual patterns do not count until a person has reviewed them.
The published formula
- Quality, 50%: the average rating. An endorsement with a written testimonial of at least 15 words counts twice as much in the average as a rating alone.
- Quantity, 30%: verified endorsements over the last 24 months. There is no limit; beyond 15, each additional one adds less.
- Recency, 20%: newer endorsements count more than older ones.
- If two doctors have the same score, the higher quality score ranks first, then the more recent endorsements.
Disputes and changes
Corrections, disputes, and updates to this page.
Corrections, disputes, and opt-outs
Doctors can request corrections, dispute a result, or opt out. We acknowledge within 5 business days and resolve within 14. Results can be appealed once per cycle.
Changes to this methodology
This page is version-numbered. Changes take effect the following cycle, never mid-cycle. Every winner list is certified by our team before publication.
What never counts
What’s never used in selection.
Payment
No fee buys, improves, or keeps a recognition.
Ownership
Doctors’ Choice Awards is operated by Ekwa Marketing. Ownership plays no part in selection.
Unverified identities
Endorsements and profiles we can’t verify don’t count.