Methodology: Along with asking all the doctors in Northern Virginia who, in their expert opinion, should be named a Top Doctor, we took the process a step further by working with local hospitals and the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group of Northern Virginia to put together panels of head doctors to discriminatively look at those with privileges at their hospital. Each panel nominated doctors based on all the internal tools they are privy to: internal evaluations, patient reviews, and overall quality of care. Although some Top Doctor winners choose to advertise in the magazine, doctors cannot pay to be included on the list. The listing and the advertising sections are separate entities.