This article was written by Dick Pepper, a medical marketing specialist who blogs at VoxMD.com and can be reached at dick This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Your reputation sucks, according to the internet. Or maybe it's great. But unless you manage your reputation and your online presence, it can go either way. Reputation management has jumped to the top of our awareness, and deservedly so. Pew Internet tells us that 44 percent of all patients are researching you, and one in five look at these rating sites. These numbers are too big to ignore. Dr. Hitham Khalil of Valdosta, Ga., says, "It's a trend, just like anything else, whether it's websites, medicine or Amazon. It's ratings, and most people look at them these days. Patients do look at these sites and I've had them tell me they looked me up."

Broomfield, Colo.-based spinal device company Lanx has introduced a website for patients with chronic leg and back pain.

Here are 16 spine surgeons discussing how their practice maintains patient satisfaction.

What does it mean to be a top-performer, exactly? The phrase is often spoken with implicit meaning, but ask any two people and you'll likely hear different definitions. To help clarify what "top performance" looks like in healthcare right now, five hospital and health system CEOs from around the country deconstructed the term into five realms: clinical quality, finance, patient satisfaction, employee and physician morale, and leadership. Here is how a handful of our country's healthcare leaders are describing — and working toward — top performance within their organization.

Here are 28 joint ventures between physicians, surgery center management companies and/or hospitals during 2011, organized alphabetically by state. Read the Becker's ASC Review list of 175 surgery centers that were developed or planned in 2011. Note: If you were involved with an ambulatory surgery center joint venture partnership in 2011 and it is not listed here, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Here are answers to eight big questions on orthopedic practice management.

Here are eight best practices for managing orthopedic and spine surgery centers.

6 Ways Evidence-Based Medicine Impacts Orthopedic and Spine Surgery

The recent focus on evidence-based medicine throughout the medical field has prompted both challenges and opportunities in orthopedics. Click to continue »

AAOS President Dr. Daniel Berry: 4 Thoughts on the Future

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recently named Daniel Berry, MD, chair of the orthopedic surgery department at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., as president for 2011. Click to continue »

50 Great Orthopedic Practices to Know

Orthopedic practices were selected for inclusion on this list based on practice size, services and reputation in their communities. This list was created after substantial research by our editorial staff. Practices do not pay and cannot pay to be included on this list. This list is not an endorsement of any organization's clinical abilities. Click to continue »

Publisher’s Letter: July 2011

18th Annual Ambulatory Surgery Centers — Improving Profitability and Business and Legal Issues ConferenceClick to continue »

9 Points for Orthopedic and Spine Surgeons on Forming Positive Relationships With Hospitals

If you want to become part of the overall continuum of care in your community, forming a partnership or aligning with a hospital may be in your future, if it hasn't occurred already. Click to continue »

70 Outstanding Hip Surgeons and Specialists

The following hip specialists were selected for this list based on the awards they received from major orthopedic organizations, leadership in those organizations, work on professional publications and positions of service held at hospitals and practices. Click to continue »

Zimmer’s Cheryl Blanchard: 5 Points on the International Consortium of Orthopaedic Registries

Zimmer has supported national joint replacement registries outside of the United States for several years. Click to continue »

10 Biggest Trends in Spine Pain Management

Leading pain management physicians discuss the latest trends in spine pain management. Click to continue »

6 Studies Supporting Timely Surgical Intervention for Appropriate Spine Indications

1. Kyphoplasty among fracture patients. New research suggests that performing kyphoplasty for patients who sustained vertebral fractures as a result of an injury decreases the likelihood of death by 44 percent, compared to patients who are prescribed bed rest and pain killers. Click to continue »

5 New Studies Influencing Sports Medicine

Here are five new studies impacting sports medicine. The studies were published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine, unless otherwise noted. Click to continue »

What Percentage of Orthopedic Surgeons Will be Employed in 5 Years? 10 Responses

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons most recent census data for 2008, 44.3 percent of orthopedic surgeons were practicing in a private practice setting and 20.9 percent were in a solo practice. Click to continue »

30 Orthopedic and Spine Surgeons on the Move

Danville (Va.) Spine Center, a division of Danville Orthopedic Clinic, welcomed Leon Abram, MD, a traumatic spinal disorder surgeons. Click to continue »

A new toolkit funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will help small- and medium-sized physician practices analyze their workflow with the effect of health information technology implementation, according to the AHRQ website.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT and six other entities will be developing a new mobile app for diabetes management, according to an ONC news release.