These days, you can rate and review everything from televisions, to hotels, to contractors online. But have you ever thought about scoring your doctor?

A growing number of websites promises to give doctors their own personalized "checkup." But not everyone thinks the rating system is a good idea, and some actually think it could hurt doctors.

Nancy Foreman always checks up on her doctor. "I look for their qualifications; they're up on the walls, usually, and I will interview them on the phone," she told us.

But recently, Nancy stepped up her background checks. Now she logs on to a "rating room." Sites like rate-md's, nurses-recommend-doctors and doctor-score-dot-com, patients can rant, rave, and review their doctors. It's all anonymous.

"I liked the fact that I could see how other people rated some of the doctors that I had had, and to see that they had agreed with me or not agreed with me," Nancy said.

Many sites also give you access to things like medical board information, specialties and education.

John Swapceinski is the creator of rate-md's-dot-com, which receives over 500,000 hits a month. Why did he create the site? We asked him.

His response: "People want to know what they're buying ahead of time."

Creators of these sites also believe that scoring sites can offer constructive feedback to doctors, and are an empowering tool for patients.

"It can give you a lot of insight into whether you think this would be a doctor who would meet your needs or not," Swapceinski said.

Patients rate things like bedside manner, wait time and accuracy of diagnosis based on a scale. Some also let you write a more personalized evaluation.

"It really gives you a feeling for who the rater is and what their unique situation was like with that doctor," Swapceinski explained.

Nancy not only researches, but grades her doctors, too.

"I've had a couple of negative. One was with me. I had a doctor, actually I broke my toe, and he told me my toe was healed when it was not healed," she explained her ratnig.

Nancy finds the process therapeutic, but many doctors believe it can be unfair and misleading.

Dr. Nancy Nielsen, who is with the American Medical Association, said consumers have no idea who's writing the reviews.

"Simply because you don't know whether that person is even a patient of the doctor they're rating," she explained her concerns.

We spoke with representatives for three popular web sites. Each one has received calls from angry doctors and lawyers demanding that certain postings be removed.

Rebecca Jeschke, who is with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said posting anonymously is one of your first amendment rights.

"However, if you do defame someone or, you know, say something untrue and harmful on a website, your identity could be revealed through the legal process," Jeschke explained.

Swapceinski says the courts have ordered him to hand over IP addresses to lawyers, but he has never been forced to take a claim down. He stressed the site is not meant to bash physicians, telling us that 70% of the feedback is positive.

As for Nancy, she always sticks to the facts. "I think it's very helpful in weeding out the good from the bad doctors."

Many sites also screen postings, striving to remove any that seem outrageous or contain profanity.