But that's true in general.

What's another way to describe the "best doctor in the country"?

"Marginally better than the next best option".

If it has a word like 'standard' in it, you would assume there is a measure or definition for that standard, not just 'not the worst.'

Best doctor in the country can quite easily still be "bronze standard."

There's an expectation of quality in saying something is Gold Standard, it's not an entirely arbitrary label.

Maybe it’s a lingo thing. “Standard of care” is used all the time and just means “standard” in the sense of “best supported by data”.

But the standard of care might just be “give morphine to ease pain until death”.