Should Physicians Care About Online Rating and Review Websites?

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Online Ratings & Review Websites

• Doctors often overlook patient rating and review websites simply because they take time

• What they do not realize is that dedicating 5 to 10 minutes per day to such sites is a massive avenue for retaining existing patients and for attracting potential ones

• In 2013, a survey by the healthcare technology company Digital Assent revealed that 72% of the respondents were of the view that negative reviews would put them off visiting the particular practitioner

Online Ratings & Review Websites

• This survey, like numerous others, highlights the need for paying more attention to online reviews and ratings in order to maintain and enhance your patient reach and client base

• This article uses suggestions from several industry experts to devise a simple six-step process to help you become an online success and for you to attract new patients

Claiming your listings

• Virtually every new patient comes across review and rating websites when searching for a practice or physician online

• As a physician, you need to first identify the first few sites on which your practice is listed by simply searching for your practice’s name on Google

• Next, individually click on each of these listings and look for a link that allows you to log in and “claim” the profile

 Marketing your profile

• Once you have claimed your listing, you are able to correct and update information such as your practice’s phone numbers and postal address

• This is extremely important as these sites are commonly used by new patients to find out a practice’s contact details

• You can also enter a brief description and a few pictures of your practice to give you an edge over your competitors

Communicating

• Both existing and potential patients will see that you truly care about their views by responding to the former’s reviews

• While the dos and don’ts of negative reviews are somewhat tricky and mentioned below in detail, positive reviews should be responded to promptly and cordially

• Some doctors also hire businesses that specialize in providing reputation management services for handling online activities but following these techniques can help you avoid that extra cost

Expect the Unexpected

• While doing all you can to boost positive reviews, try to discourage the negative ones to the maximum

• Comment cards and brief e-mail questionnaires after every visit can decrease the amount of negative reviews posted online

• Patient portals in EHR software also allow for greater interaction with patients and have the provision to transfer lab reports, tests etc

• This keeps the patients happy and patients often resort to these mediums instead for any queries or problems

Expect the Unexpected

• When faced with negative reviews, step one is to never panic

• Additionally, try not to confirm that the reviewer is your patient and when responding to a review, never reveal the reviewer’s personal information

• Moreover, derogatory, offensive or off topic reviews should never be responded to, and should additionally be forwarded to the rating site for immediate removal

Getting clients to comment

• Next, build up on this online presence and by asking satisfied patients to provide feedback on these forums

• It takes only a few minutes to comment and review, so many of your patients might do so

• Moreover, more positive reviews about your practice substantially increase the likelihood of potential patients seeing these, and consequently visiting your practice

Other Web Sources

• While review and rating websites are immensely important for the promotion of your practice, it is never wise to direct all your efforts towards this one medium

• A website with your information and a few pictures of your practice in addition to presence on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter will considerably enhance your client base

• Several doctors also use patient portals on EHR systems as substitutes for websites

Read more on blog.curemd.com

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