Online reviews are absolutely essential to your practice, as most people go straight to Google reviews to learn about a new business. This is especially true for medical practices. If other people praise your practice and rate it highly, potential patients are more likely to think they’ll have a good experience there too.
You want new patients to take a chance on you, and that starts with online reputation management (ORM). Consistently responding to reviews can help strengthen your online reputation. The stronger your online reputation, the more likely potential patients are to schedule an appointment with you.
A Review Of Online Reviews
Not all reviews are positive, and that’s okay! A negative review can feel devastating, especially if, from your perspective, it’s unfair or untrue. You may think that HIPAA prevents medical practices from responding to reviews—this isn’t true. As long as you adhere to privacy laws, you can respond to a review without violating HIPAA.
Tips For Responding To All Reviews
- Respond quickly. Don’t leave a review—good or bad—sit for weeks. Make sure to respond in a couple of days. Charge one person on your team to regularly check and respond to new reviews. Responding promptly shows that you care, and that you’re active online!
- Use templated responses. Using a script helps streamline the process, set an established tone and ensures that you’re adhering to HIPAA at all times.
- Respond to all reviews, even the positive ones. Get in the habit of responding to all new reviews you receive. Acknowledging a positive review shows that you appreciate your patients!
Responding To Negative Reviews:
- Call the reviewer. A patient who takes the time to leave a negative review is often someone who is very upset. Even if the review is inflammatory or untrue, a direct phone call will help clarify the situation, prevent it from happening again and stop it from escalating further.
- Don’t Argue. Nothing looks worse than a fight. Even if the patient is sharing misleading or misinterpreted information, it is better to remain cordial and professional.
- Stay broad. Avoid specifics and stick to your template. This way, you are not acknowledging the patient-doctor relationship and therefore adhering to HIPAA guidelines.
Negative Reviews: Let’s Talk
Do you need help managing your online reputation? Not sure where to start? Let’s talk.