Knowledge Library

Patients are leaning heavily on physician reviews to help them select a physician.¹ Recent developments also suggest that these reviews may one day affect physician availability in payer networks.² As important as these reviews are—and may become—it helps to understand what they actually say and what your practice can do about them. This special report describes the nature of these reviews and offers strategies for encouraging positive ones to help you maintain a positive online reputation.

Patients are turning to sources such as ZocDoc, HealthGrades, Vitals, Yelp and other online physician review sources, and reviews are impacting where patients seek care. A 2019 survey conducted by Software Advice found that 72% percent of respondents used online reviews as a first step in seeking a medical provider. While this percentage may appear shockingly high to some, it accurately reflects our nation’s current consumer landscape. With similar models for selecting restaurants, clothing, cars, and other retail businesses, it was only a matter of time until the healthcare industry followed. Understanding what these online reviews say — and don’t say — can help your practice develop a strategy for improving these reviews and aid you in developing a positive reputation online.

The benefits of using social media in a medical practice are becoming increasingly clear, which makes the pressure to get involved even greater. As medical practices become more sophisticated at using social media for knowledge sharing, marketing, and other forms of communication, those who fail to participate will fall behind. These social media tips for medical practices can help you get started.

The use of social media in healthcare settings has expanded far outside the scope of marketing. Today, physicians are increasingly using social media for professional networking, communicating with colleagues, collaborating with researchers, improving patient outcomes, and professional development.

Physicians’ and dentists’ personal interests and opinions can sometimes expose their practices to unwanted attention, particularly with the rate information travels today. For example, the recent negative publicity surrounding a Minnesota dentist whose hunting pastime made worldwide news, resulted in backlash that disrupted his practice. The overwhelming negative attention led to shutting down his professional social media accounts, practice website and the doors to his practice during this frenzy. The flood of negative comments online, directed at him personally, now sit side by side with reviews of his professional ability on third-party rating and review websites. This may be an extreme scenario, but it does illustrate the power of how online reviews and commentary can affect a physician and his or her practice. Because of this, proactive steps should be taken by health care providers to safeguard their practice from negative online publicity or comments that may occur.