It’s common knowledge that positive word-of-mouth is the easiest and most cost efficient way to grow new business – and that goes for healthcare as well. After all, patients are customers too.

Many patients find their doctor through referrals, and online physician review sites now play a key role in these healthcare decisions. In a national survey appearing in The Journal of the American Medical Association, 65 percent of respondents reported awareness of online physician ratings.

With the exponentially exploding world of social media has come heightened awareness about online visibility. The prevalence of websites such as RateMDs.com, Healthgrades.com, Vitals.com and Yelp.com make it increasingly critical for healthcare professionals to monitor their digital reputations. Online physician reviews are changing how patients provide feedback, and even influence how they select medical care.

Online evidence of patient satisfaction, in the form of positive reviews, protects and enhances a healthcare provider’s reputation and also maximizes the almighty SEO, both of which are instrumental in cultivating a healthy, growing patient-base.

How important are these online physician ratings? Most healthcare providers agree that they are critical. In The New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Anna Lembke states that in the quest to protect their online reputation and to avoid negative ratings on the Internet, some physicians have felt pressure to prescribe opioids and other narcotics to at-risk patients. Lembke recalls a conversation with a colleague who shared, “Sometimes I just have to do the right thing and refuse to prescribe them, even if I know they’re going to go on Yelp and give me a bad rating.”

However, healthcare providers need not live in fear of the Internet. Here are some tips when navigating the choppy waters of online reputation management:

  1. Offer patients opportunities to provide direct feedback. Patients should have opportunities to give feedback, both in the office and on the practice website. The objective is to address unhappy patients before they openly air grievances online. Providers can then contact these patients privately in hopes of resolving the issue. It is also an opportunity to recognize happy patients and ask them to share their experience in a larger forum online.
  1. Respond to negative reviews. Some disgruntled patients will voice their dissatisfaction online, and there isn’t much that can stop them. Like angry customers at a retail store, some patients can become irrational. Unfortunately, practices still need to address these complaints, unfounded as they may be.In responding to a negative review, healthcare providers might request that the patient contact them to privately resolve the matter.  If the negative feedback is valid, the providers can use the public forum to apologize and explain how the issue will be avoided and/or resolved in the future.

    Healthcare Public Relations 101: One of the most effective tools in crisis management is employing honesty and transparency with the public. A swift, non-defensive acknowledgement of the incident will go a long way in earning the trust of both present and prospective patients.

    The Internet is forever, and poor reviews can exist online in perpetuity. With few exceptions, they don’t magically vanish in seven years like bankruptcy or other embarrassing public records. What is the best strategy?  Cure the negativity with a healthy dose of positivity.

  1. Encourage satisfied patients to post online. Satisfied patients can be delicately asked to post positive reviews. Pressuring or incentivizing patients doesn’t sit well with healthcare providers, so they might ask their most gratified patients to post about their positive experiences. The most valuable reviews are sincere and unbiased. Enough thoughtful reviews from patients can dramatically dilute negative reviews that linger.
  1. Consistently dazzle patients with exemplary service. By implementing and consistently holding staff accountable to high standards in customer service, healthcare professionals can do a lot to promote positive online presence. These days, medical practices with perennially long wait times, a brusque receptionist at the front desk or lack of follow-up can get expect stinging reviews online.

The Internet and social media have created a new level of patient empowerment, giving rise to the “healthcare consumer,” and allowing Americans an unprecedented amount of control over their own care.  As more people go online to make important healthcare decisions, healthcare and medical professionals should consider online reputation management an urgent priority.

Kevin Pho, M.D., primary care physician and founder of the influential healthcare blog KevinMD.com sums it up best:

“Health providers need to be proactive about their online reputation. Passivity isn’t an option… An online reputation will soon be just as important as a reputation in the community.”

Are you a healthcare provider dealing with negative online reviews? Download our white paper to learn how to best respond to negatives reviews, 5 Steps for Medical Practices to Follow When Responding to Negative Reviews. You can also give us a call directly at 818-610-0270 to set up an introductory meeting!

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