New Jersey Monthly commissioned an independent survey of the state’s physicians with the participation of the Monmouth Polling Institute at Monmouth University in West Long Branch. A total of 20,444 New Jersey–based doctors were invited to make their recommendations for this year’s “Top Docs” list. Most patients in need of a medical specialist rely on the recommendation of only one or two healthcare professionals. Now you have access to the top recommendations from nearly 2,300 doctors across the state.
Here’s how the survey was conducted. On March 28, a one-page questionnaire was mailed to all New Jersey-based physicians who have been licensed in the state for at least five years. The mailing list, which is used by the Board of Medical Examiners for licensing purposes, was obtained from the state Department of Consumer Affairs and represents the full list of actively licensed physicians in the state. Respondents could either return the original questionnaire or complete the questionnaire online.
Overall, 1,662 mail surveys and 1,086 web surveys were received. A check on non-duplication prevented ballot stuffing on the part of large medical practices; slightly more than 120 of the mail surveys were disqualified. More than 300 web entries were from ineligible participants, in most cases from doctors who had been licensed in the state for less than five years.
In the end, a total of 2,296 valid responses were received (1,538 by mail and 758 online) for a response rate of 11 percent. This rate is typical for market studies of physicians, though we expect response rates to grow once doctors become more aware that New Jersey Monthly is now asking them directly for these recommendations.
The categories on the questionnaire were chosen based on the number of doctors practicing in any particular field. The 24 official board-recognized specialties were used as a guide, with many sub-specialties of internal medicine included. The list included specialties that have at least 100 doctors in the state. Some specialties that did not meet the threshold were captured by combining categories on the survey—specifically pediatric specialties and other types of surgery.
The final list represents the top doctors in each of 56 medical categories. A minimum of ten votes was needed for a doctor to appear on the list. Some categories have more than ten doctors due to multiple tie votes. Some categories have fewer than ten recommendations because not enough doctors in that category received the minimum number of votes for inclusion.