Your star rating and reviews on platforms like Google, Healthgrades, and WebMD have a real impact on your medical practice, as reviews are a key factor patients consider before deciding to schedule an appointment with you.
While every physician will inevitably encounter negative reviews, proactively strengthening your online reputation by requesting patient feedback is a smart strategy.
This isn’t just our area of expertise; it’s a cornerstone of the reputation management services we proudly offer at Medical Justice. Here are the top strategies our medical legal experts recommend to build up your online reputation with glowing reviews.
Offer a World-Class Patient Experience
It may sound simple, but it bears repeating: every detail counts in shaping the feelings patients take with them as they leave your office. Cleanliness, as well as personalized attention from front desk staff, nurses, and the physician, are impactful when it comes to retaining patients and generating positive online feedback that elevates your reputation.
Key Tips:
- Train Your Staff: Make sure your staff answers the phones and greets patients with warmth and timely attention. First impressions are powerful!
- Manage Schedules Effectively: Allow all providers ample time with each patient, so that you are not forced to rush patient encounters.
- Hire Competent Staff: Prioritize hiring patient-focused, competent individuals so that patient inquiries and needs receive prompt attention.
- Communicate Delays: If you’re running behind, sometimes it just takes popping your head into the room letting the patient know you will be with them soon. Or having staff update the patient on “estimated time of your arrival.” Or giving the patient options. Treat them the way you’d want to be treated!
Read and Respond to Reviews
Importantly, be sure you are reading existing and future reviews of your practice. What do your patients value most? Where do you and your staff excel? Where can you improve? According to our data, the best online reputation management for doctors starts with listening to the needs of your current patients. Real-time patient satisfaction reports are invaluable, capturing immediate feedback that helps predict future reviews and understand patient experiences more deeply.
Thoughtfully addressing negative feedback with HIPAA-compliant responses not only shows your dedication to improving patient care but also helps turn potential negatives into positive opportunities. This proactive approach can transform challenges into testimonials of your commitment to patient satisfaction, enhancing trust and making patients feel more confident in choosing your services. By staying informed and responsive to patient needs, you pave the way for more positive reviews and a stronger online reputation.
Automate Review Collection with Online Reputation Management Tools, Like eMerit
Technology is your biggest ally in the pursuit of a stellar online reputation. With online reputation management programs, such as eMerit, you can easily start collecting patient feedback right at your practice on an iPad. Then, these reviews are automatically posted to the top online review sites. Your practice can also utilize eMerit to collect surveys via text message, email, QR code, and/or a survey link integrated into your existing electronic medical records (EMR) system.
When hundreds of patients share their positive clinical outcomes and high-end service experiences online, new patient inquiries invariably rise, helping to increase your revenue.
Ask for Reviews Ethically, and Do Not Pay for Reviews
Paying for positive reviews may be tempting, but these practices can result in hefty fines. For example, The New York Attorney General’s office has fined medical providers $175,000 for paying freelance writers and internet advertising companies to leave reviews by individuals who had never visited the clinic or been a patient. To state the obvious, don’t do it. The only conceivable benefit will be to philanthropically serve as a warning to others.
You should also avoid using services that screen out patients who state they had a “negative” experience, while asking for reviews from patients who report a “positive” experience. This is a practice called review gating, and it has led companies to be fined millions of dollars by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Looking for trusted medico-legal assistance? The Medical Justice team is here for you! We offer online reputation management, as well as personalized legal protection plans, to help you remain compliant while safeguarding your practice and your online reputation.
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