There once was a time when providers could trust that referrals and word-of-mouth recommendations would sustain their practice, and expect that the influence of patient feedback would be limited to a complaint box and their small network of friends. This is no longer the case.
Between viral TikTok videos, Google reviews, Reddit subthreads, and other healthcare review sites, a patient’s loudly voiced opinion of their experience with your practice has significantly more reach. Because of this, many healthcare professionals experience anxiety when it comes to soliciting and managing online reviews. Understandably, receiving negative patient feedback can feel like a personal attack, and bad reviews are huge red flags to prospective patients.
While these fears are not unfounded, embracing online reviews and asking every patient to share their experience can pave the way to significant practice growth and patient retention rates.
Read on to conquer your fear of asking patients for reviews, and learn how to turn their feedback into powerful growth opportunities.
Contents:
- Take a closer look at some of the common misconceptions about asking patients for reviews, and learn why healthcare professionals should ask every patient to leave feedback.
Understanding the Value of Patient Reviews
- Discover the benefits that come with an abundance of patient reviews, and understand why having more reviews is critical to a successful reputation management strategy.
- Explore how to effectively request reviews from patients, and learn how to respond to both positive and negative feedback.
- Embracing patient feedback, even when negative, is essential for growth and practice improvement. Download rater8’s Review Response Roadmap for more practical tips on navigating online reviews.
Common Misconceptions
Despite the numerous advantages that come with requesting reviews from every patient, several misconceptions deter healthcare providers from fully embracing this practice.
Here are a few myths we’ve debunked:
Myth #1: Negative Reviews Will Tarnish a Reputation
It’s easy to see why many healthcare professionals believe that negative reviews will damage their reputation. While it’s true that negative feedback can be concerning, it’s essential to understand that the occasional negative review is inevitable and is not necessarily detrimental to an organization’s online image.
In fact, research conducted by Feefo found that 52% of consumers are suspicious if there are no negative reviews about the product or service they’re considering purchasing. The modern patient is savvy and will not make a decision based on a couple negative reviews, so long as those reviews are counterbalanced by dozens of positive ones.
Myth #2: Asking for Reviews Will Compromise Patient Privacy and Confidentiality
Some providers worry that soliciting reviews, particularly through a third-party system, might compromise patient information or breach confidentiality agreements. Rest assured that working alongside a SOC 2-certified platform like rater8 ensures that all processes and systems comply with the healthcare industry’s strict security and confidentiality standards. Additionally, rater8 encrypts all data to ensure patient information is always protected, using only pertinent patient details — appointment information, name, and email — for feedback purposes.
Myth #3: Requesting Reviews Will Result in More Negative Reviews
Most common amongst these myths is the misconception that asking more patients for reviews will result in more negative feedback. However, the reality is quite the opposite.
The truth is, only negative experiences lead to negative reviews. Unsatisfied patients are significantly more likely to seek out your organization’s online profiles to leave a 1-star review following a disappointing experience, whereas satisfied patients are not intrinsically motivated to go out of their way to leave positive feedback unprompted. It’s a phenomenon with which all healthcare organizations are familiar: happy patients tell their friends, and unhappy patients tell the world.
Taking the crucial step to actively solicit reviews from every patient results in a higher volume of overall feedback. The subsequent influx of positive patient reviews will quickly balance out the occasional negative comment. Studies have shown that satisfied customers are often more than willing to leave positive reviews when asked. According to BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey, 73% of customers who were asked to leave a review went on to do so.
One real-life example of this occurred when Gonzaba Medical Group decided to take control of their online image. In 2019, they received just 87 reviews, but after joining forces with rater8, Gonzaba was able to accumulate an impressive 24,280 patient reviews in 2020.
Further, 90% of those new reviews were 5 stars, elevating their overall rating from 3.02 to 4.80 stars.
Understanding the Value of Patient Reviews
Whether good or bad, there’s much to gain from capturing an abundance of patient feedback. Here are just a few standout benefits:
Boost Online Visibility
Google and other search engines have shifted from prioritizing traditional SEO to favoring consumer trust over all else. This means social proof reigns supreme, with a higher value placed on local search results validated by customers in the form of ratings and reviews than on website content.
How to win local search? Newer SEO strategies like Reputation SEO increase the likelihood your healthcare organization will appear in the coveted Google 3-Pack through the cultivation of 5-star patient reviews. Dominating the Google 3-Pack means your organization will edge out your local competition, making you the obvious choice for patients.
Rank higher in local search results
Grow Your Healthcare Practice with Local SEO!
Learn how to attract the modern patient to your organization via local search rankings.
Read NowNotably, the effectiveness of any Reputation SEO initiative lies in the careful management of the “Four Rs” — reviews, ratings, recency, and responses. Each factors heavily into the algorithms that determine whether Google will push your organization to the top of search results.
Further, the same Four Rs that are optimized through a Reputation SEO strategy are the same factors that play a pivotal role in a patient’s decision-making process. When current and prospective patients see an abundance of recent, high-quality ratings on your listings, their trust in your brand will blossom.
Build Trust
The way patients make healthcare decisions has changed. Trust that was once built from “company-to-consumer” is now accomplished “peer-to-peer” in an online forum. With that in mind, healthcare organizations can share patient reviews across their practice’s website, social media channels, and other public-facing platforms to provide social proof of quality care and enhance trust in their brand. This will not only bolster your reputation, but also help you outshine your local competition.
Think of it as an ongoing cycle of trust. When patients have a great experience, not only will they keep coming back, but they’ll also share their experience with friends, colleagues, and even strangers online.
Identify Areas of Improvement with Benchmarking
Benchmarking in healthcare is an important tool for organizations looking to stay ahead of the curve and reduce risk in decision-making. By comparing your organization’s performance against industry standards and best practices, you can easily identify areas in need of improvement, implement changes, and ultimately enhance patient outcomes. Additionally, benchmarking allows organizations to measure their success objectively, establishing these metrics as a roadmap for their success.
Encouraging Patient Feedback
Unhappy patients are far more likely to leave a negative review than happy patients are to leave a positive one. With this in mind, what’s the best way to combat a skew of negative reviews? It may seem counterintuitive, but asking every patient to leave a review is the best way to improve your ratings.
Indeed, rater8 has found that when you request reviews from all patients, 97% of them will be 4 or 5 stars. Remember, bolstering your online listings with excellent reviews will improve your online visibility, foster trust, and highlight improvement opportunities.
With reviews pouring in from every patient, keeping up with timely, thoughtful responses can feel overwhelming. That’s where rater8’s AI-assisted review response feature comes in, allowing you to generate personalized, HIPAA-compliant replies with a single click.
Handle Negative Feedback
When it comes to addressing negative reviews, it’s important to meet the patient with empathy and keep responses free of confrontation. Given that negative reviews often come from a place of discontent, reaching out to a patient who is upset is a great opportunity to turn an unhappy patient into a practice evangelist.
That’s what Jonathan Dunford, former COO at Michigan Orthopaedic Surgeons, does when the group receives negative feedback. In a recent thought leadership panel, he discussed how he handles this kind of feedback.
“Sometimes I look at a review and ask myself what I can do to help support the patient,” Dunford said. “What changes am I able to make? What positive things can I take from this, and what can I take back to my team?”
Think of negative reviews as a free business intelligence tool, giving you a candid look at how patients are actually feeling.
Capitalize on Positive Feedback
Cultivating an abundance of high-quality reviews to showcase the patient voice is not only one of the best ways to stay in the good graces of Google’s algorithms — it’s also a cost-effective marketing tool to win over skeptics and an excellent way to boost staff morale.
Human psychology has proven time and time again that our brains are hardwired to focus on the negative — a phenomenon known as the negativity bias. This evolutionary trait helped our ancestors survive by prioritizing threats and dangers. However, in today’s world, it means that negative experiences often overshadow positive ones. In fact, research shows that it can take up to five positive interactions to counteract a single negative one. In that vein, amassing a large number of happy patient testimonials to display proudly on your website and social channels is one of the most powerful tools for establishing credibility and disputing negative biases amongst prospective patients.
Additionally, don’t underestimate the power positive feedback can have on your organization’s employee morale. Another panel participant, Kemuel Carey, CEO of Peninsula Orthopaedic Associates, shared his approach to positive feedback.
“I try to send out a Friday Feedback email every two or three weeks,” Carey said. “I pull out positive patient reviews that really recognize our staff for going above and beyond. I’ve found that recognition to be very helpful for the staff.”
Dunford echoed Carey’s sentiment on the importance of providing positive feedback. His method takes a more old-school approach by providing physical thank-you notes.
“One of the things I’ve been conscious of is providing actual written thank-you notes that go out to our teammates,” Dunford said. “That’s been a very positive and well-appreciated method of recognizing the great work they’re doing. I’ve seen our employees put the notes in their cubicles or on their desks. It means a lot to them to be recognized by senior leadership.”
Conclusion
The fear of receiving negative feedback from patients is understandable — no one likes to hear about what they could do better! That said, hiding from negative reviews won’t help your organization edge out competitors, attract more patients, and drive continued growth.
While every review might not be a glowing testimonial, each is certainly an opportunity to learn, improve, and highlight your dedication to providing exceptional patient care, driving trust in your brand and motivating prospective patients to choose your organization.
Plus, when you solicit reviews from all of your patients, you’ll find that the vast majority have only wonderful things to say.
Looking for more tips, tools, and strategies for navigating online reviews? Download rater8’s Review Response Roadmap.
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