How we measure
This is a trust register: we verify structural facts of trust, not transplant outcomes. Each clinic gets an open profile across 9 axes on one public ruler. No hidden scores and no hand-placed ranks — the Transparency Index composite is computed from published weights.
The gate — who enters the register
We list a clinic if it can be identified correctly and it is operating. A missing operating-surgeon name is not grounds to exclude (Unknown ≠ fault): such a clinic is listed with a flag but does not receive the "surgeon-led" crown. A crown for a licence-gated segment is available only with a register-verified health-tourism authorization.
- Health-tourism licensed — health-tourism authorization — stated by the clinic or confirmed on the MoH / USHAŞ authorized-facilities list
- Operating surgeon named — a named operating surgeon, corroborable in a public directory (ISHRS / ABHRS)
- In register scope — hair transplant / restoration — within the register's scope
- Clinic operating — the clinic is genuinely operating and reachable for booking
Why these axes
Every axis passes three sieves: buyer relevance, verifiability against a public source, and robustness to confounds (brand size, site age, ad budget).
- Buyer-relevant. The axis answers a real patient question: is the clinic authorized, who actually operates, which technique is used, how honest the graft claims are, what it costs.
- Checkable. The value can be re-checked against a source — the MoH / USHAŞ health-tourism list, an ISHRS / ABHRS directory, the clinic's own pages.
- Robust to confounds. The heavy axes do not reward fame; a small surgeon-led clinic with a confirmed authorization and a named surgeon beats a large opaque package operator.
The nine axes
Six measured (82%) and three editorial (18%). Each runs 1 to 5; the composite is normalised over the covered axes and mapped to 0–100.
| Axis | What the axis checks | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| M1 · Facility & health-tourism licence | Is the clinic's health-tourism authorization confirmable on the MoH / USHAŞ list, and is the operating location disclosed. Present on the list + a disclosed facility = top of the scale. The base facility licence itself is not publicly searchable, so we score the authorization that subsumes it. | 20% |
| M2 · Operating surgeon named + verifiable | Is a real operating surgeon named and their credential corroborable (ISHRS / ABHRS). Turkish law requires a physician to perform the incisions personally — a missing operator name is untraceability, not an accusation. Membership is voluntary, so its absence alone does not lower the score. | 22% |
| M3 · Technique disclosure | How specifically the technique and protocol are disclosed (FUE / DHI / Sapphire, roles, planning, limits) rather than a marketing label. | 10% |
| M4 · Claim / graft honesty | How clean the graft / result claims are. "Unlimited grafts", a fixed "5000 grafts", "100% density" or a guaranteed result are red-flag claims; we score the presence of the claim, never the outcome. | 14% |
| M5 · Price transparency | Are real prices published (packages, ranges, inclusions) rather than "free consultation" only. | 8% |
| M6 · Aftercare & revision policy | Is a written aftercare and revision policy disclosed — post-op instructions, follow-up, complications route, revision terms. | 8% |
| E1 · Professional corroboration | External professional corroboration — a verified ISHRS / ABHRS membership or a checkable accreditation. Absence is not a fault; a false or contradicted badge can trigger the cap. | 6% |
| E2 · International-patient path | Clarity of the international-patient path: languages, coordinator, medical intake, consent, remote follow-up — not just a travel package. | 6% |
| E3 · Operator transparency | Operator / sibling-brand transparency: is the legal entity, facility and any shared-brand relationship disclosed, so a patient sees whether they are choosing a clinic, a surgeon or a brand front. | 6% |
How the axes are weighted
The heavy axes are the ones that are buyer-predictive, checkable and little exposed to confounds: the operating surgeon (22) and the health-tourism authorization (20) — who holds the scalpel and where. The light ones are where the risk of a brand- or budget-proxy is high: price (8), professional membership (6), patient-path (6).
Measured axes sum to 82, editorial to 18. The Transparency Index composite = the weighted average of the covered axes, mapped to 0–100. Below 75% coverage the composite is not published (insufficient evidence).
Harmful-promise cap (red-flag cap)
A proven, specific harm — a guaranteed result, "100% density", "unlimited grafts", a claim that non-physicians perform the surgery, a false accreditation or licence — caps the composite from above (a cap of 39–74 out of 100 by severity). "We couldn't confirm the authorization" is not a red flag; a red flag requires an official contradiction or a proven fact, not a rumour, and negative wording is reviewed before it is published.
The operator-focus modifier
If hair transplant is not the clinic's core but a package sold by a medical-travel operator, the composite takes a small fixed penalty. Focused surgeon-led clinics take none. The classification is observable and applied to all alike.
- hair transplant — the clinic's core: 0
- aesthetic clinic with a hair-transplant unit: −2
- medical-travel / package operator: −5
Reproducible by design
Each cell carries a source class (OFFICIAL / SECONDARY / UNVERIFIED) and a date. A score without a source is impossible: "not found" is an empty value with text, not a guess. Any external auditor can repeat the check against the same public sources. We accept edits from clinics only with a source link; we show the clinic's response alongside, but we don't change the score without a source.