Online reviews have become a major factor in determining which restaurants we eat at and which leisure activities we participate in, but now this trend is even helping patients decide which physicians to visit. Websites such as Yelp and Google have given rise to a new generation of websites such as ZocDoc, HealthGrades, and UCompareHealthCare, which are specifically targeted toward helping patients select a physician.

Because potential and current patients alike visit these sites, bad reviews can prove detrimental to physician practices. A recent article on MedPageToday, “Online Doc Reviews: Ignore Them at Your Peril,” has compiled a list of tips that physicians should consider when dealing with negative feedback online.

Scott Public Relations has summarized the top five tips that physicians should keep in mind when dealing with online reviews:

  1. Do not ignore criticism. Patients want to know that a physician cares about their patients and is willing to respond accordingly to negative reviews. These websites provide healthcare professionals with the option to respond to the patient who has posted the review, and patients are often willing to take down their critiques. Many times the disgruntled patient is reasonable, and would be willing to give the healthcare professional a chance to rectify the issue. Ignoring the review simply exacerbates the problem as the online complaint goes undisputed.
  2. Provide an in-office survey. Providing an in-house survey to patients is a good way of finding out what patients think, so that any issues can be rectified before an unhappy patient takes to the Internet. This option lets patients know that the physician cares about their opinion and is willing to work with them to provide the best possible experience. It allows the healthcare professional to contact the patient after a negative response and discuss options for fixing the situation. This reduces the likelihood that the patient will resort to online negativity.
  3. Contact the review website directly. Online reviews are most often written by patients who have had an unpleasant experience, however these reviews are sometimes written for the sole purpose of defaming the physician. Because it is difficult to verify identity online, individuals who are not patients can log on and write an unflattering review for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of care a physician provides. If it is clear that someone other than a patient has written these negative comments, the physician can contact the site directly and have the comments removed.
  4. Publish your own review page. Some hospitals have started posting their own reviews online. Patients are able to fill out a review which is then posted on the hospital’s website without being edited. The benefit of this option is that hospitals are able to remove any prank-reviews and any reviews they consider libelous or profane. Patients have the option of providing their opinion in a safe, controlled, and reliable setting.
  5. Provide excellent service. The best way to respond to these patient review websites is to provide excellent customer service so patients are encouraged to write positive reviews. In fact, the vast majority of comments on these sites are positive. Review websites can work to the advantage of physicians who receive positive reviews and work as an advertisement with no cost to the physician. Providing the best care possible will encourage positive reviews and reduce the harm of the criticism by allowing satisfied patients to speak for you.

The worst action a physician can take with the rapid growth of online review forums is to take no action at all. For physicians who want to improve their communication with patients in a digitally dominant world, Scott Public Relations has a JumpStart Marketing Program that can help.

A physician’s web reputation can determine whether or not a patient joins your practice, and Scott PR’s proven model can drastically improve your online reputation. This program diagnoses how your practice currently operates, prescribes steps to take for improvement, and implements the appropriate treatment. This allows physicians to focus on providing quality healthcare while Scott PR takes care of marketing campaigns.

Interested in learning more about how Scott PR can act as a resource for your medical practice? Request a consultation with us.

If you’re in healthcare, insurance, technology or other professional services industries, and need help with a PR, marketing or social media campaign, contact Scott Public Relations.

Like what you’ve read? Follow Scott Public Relations on Facebook , Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Google+. For convenient blog updates, sign up for the Einsight RSS feed!

(Note: Many internet browser platforms are discontinuing their internal RSS reader. If you are viewing this in Google Chrome the RSS feed will not work properly since they discontinued Google Reader. If you have an independent reader set up already you should be fine. If you do not, may we suggest you look to Digg Reader, AOL Reader, or our personal favorite – Feedly to handle your RSS feeds. Happy reading.)