Best practice: How to handle negative online reviews

A recent survey from Austin-based consulting firm Software Advice found that 77% of participants use online reviews as a first step in seeking out a doctor. Although receiving a less than positive review is never enjoyable, it does present a unique opportunity to use feedback—good or bad—to your advantage.

The DO spoke with two physicians and a health care marketing expert, who provided their best advice on addressing online reviews, including what to consider when responding to a negative review, and why doing so is important.

What should physicians do if they get a negative online review?

Amanda Kanaan, president and CEO of WhiteCoat Designs, a medical marketing consultancy, recommends three steps practices can take to manage their online reputation:

1. Claim your practice for all your online review profiles so you can participate in the conversation. That means making sure all the information on the profiles is accurate, and being aware of what people are posting.

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2. Bury negative reviews with more positive reviews.
3. Respond to negative reviews in a HIPAA-compliant, professional manner.

Emergency physician Aaron Braun, MD, who has blogged about online doctor reviews, advises poorly reviewed physicians not to panic.

“Being proactive and responding to negative reviews immediately will help your online reputation,” says Dr. Braun, the medical director of SignatureCare Emergency Center in Houston.

Another way to “respond” is to provide good patient care, says family physician Ian Levenson, DO. “Positive interactions with patients will drive business within your practice,” says Dr. Levenson, who monitors his online ratings on ZocDoc.

What should physicians avoid when responding to online reviews?

“Practices should be cautious in how they respond to negative reviews,” Kanaan says. “For HIPAA reasons, you should never discuss or reveal any details about your patient’s care even if they solicit it via their review. It’s also unprofessional to publicly dispute the review. Instead, respond with a generic but sincere response.”

Just because you received a negative review does not mean you have to defend yourself, says Dr. Braun.

“You are not going to please everyone all the time. The best practice is to avoid public back-and-forth posting,” he says, noting that encouraging patients to call the practice so the conversation moves offline is usually the best approach.

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Why should physicians take the time to respond to negative online reviews?

Even if you haven’t created a Web presence for yourself, patients and other online directories are creating one for you, Dr. Braun notes.

Kanaan says she always tells practices that customer service is the new public relations. “That means anytime a practice can show off their commitment to patient care by responding to an online review, it should be considered an opportunity—even if the review is negative.”

Patients care more about the fact that physicians are listening and taking the time to respond than the fact that the negative review occurred in the first place, Kanaan notes.

Dr. Levenson looks at marketing his practice in two ways. “Internal marketing is where you take care of your patients and make any interaction you have with them as positive as possible. External marketing, which includes responding to online reviews, allows you to generate new patients—those who look at reviews to find a doctor.”