How to Manage and Respond to Bad Online Healthcare Reviews

Reputation Staff Writer

Online patient reviews are so important to the bottom line in healthcare. Unfortunately, some of those will inevitably be bad reviews. The internet has given rise to third-party feedback sources such as Google reviews for providers. That means that patient feedback is everywhere.

Some of those reviews will be praising doctors and their care, making them easy to respond to. But the negative feedback is a little more difficult to handle. It’s vital to develop a strategy to manage and respond to those negative reviews.

Knowing what to do with that feedback is the cornerstone of healthcare online reputation management. In this article, we’ll help you get on the right path to efficiently handling online patient reviews. We’ll do so by covering the following sections:

Why Online Reviews are Important to Patients

More than 50% of survey respondents select a doctor based on reviews.

If someone needs a new doctor, they’re going to take that search online. That means that people will be combing the internet for the best site to read online reviews of doctors. Our 2021 Healthcare Report found that 50.8% of survey respondents said they’ve selected a doctor over another based on reviews.

People use online feedback to find a trustworthy healthcare provider who typically has a star rating of four or higher. After insurance and location, third-party reviews are the most important thing to those looking for a new doctor. Google is the most important review site for healthcare consumers, so it’s vital to keep that in mind.

 

Healthcare Reviews Can Boost Google Search Results Rankings

 47.6% of consumers rely on Google to find ratings.

Search engines like Google love fresh, unique content. According to Sixth City Marketing, online reviews play a role in search factors for local businesses. The best way for your administration to acquire more content is through online customer reviews.

The more honest reviews your listing has, the more people and search engines will trust it and rank it higher in local search. Those reviews can help you to increase your conversions as well. Google is the preferred review site for many consumers. That means it’s vital to ensure your business listing is claimed and accurate so consumers can find feedback. 

Related: Reviews Are Coming Back to Healthcare

Missing information from that listing isn’t very welcoming. In fact, it’ll reflect pretty poorly on your organization. Current and potential patients may likely mention that in their reviews.

For example, if your phone number isn’t listed, someone may leave a bad review stating that they couldn’t reach anyone. That could result in a patient’s loss. Your organization can avoid unnecessary negative feedback by making sure your Google business listing is clean and updated. 

 

Considerations for Managing Healthcare Reviews

 

Best Practices for Implementing a Healthcare Patient Review Strategy with Reputation

At Reputation, our dedicated healthcare team helps customers manage all online reviews and create processes for quicker service recovery. Here are some steps to take to flesh out your healthcare review strategy:

Related: How Reputation Helps Healthcare Systems Thrive in Google’s World

Ready to take your healthcare consumer experience to the next level? Take a look at our whitepaper on how healthcare providers can reprioritize strategic priorities

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