How to Respond to Negative Online Reviews Professionally

Online reviews play a major role in the decision-making process when people shop for new providers. Negative reviews can happen to any practice, even in well-run offices with highly reputable providers. While it's impossible to avoid criticism completely, physicians who respond well can build trust and demonstrate professionalism at the same time.

Key Takeaways

• Every practice gets negative online reviews. Having a system for addressing negative reviews can minimize their effect.
• Encouraging satisfied patients to leave positive reviews can help boost your online reputation.
• It's important to avoid violating HIPAA when responding to online reviews. 
• Medical offices should train all staff responsible for responding to online reviews to ensure they respond with respect, professionalism, and in compliance with HIPAA.
• Working with a healthcare marketing agency makes managing online reviews easier.

Why Negative Healthcare Reviews Matter

Negative reviews can impact patient trust and shape first impressions. Doctor offices that address negative reviews in a positive, productive way can recover from criticism and come out stronger.

Tips When Responding to Negative Healthcare Reviews

Follow these tips when responding to patient reviews.

• Respond within 24 to 72 hours whenever possible.
• Acknowledge the patient's concern calmly, respectfully, and without judgment.
• Keep responses solution-oriented.
• Know when to take the conversation offline.
• Do not present in a defensive manner.
• Never share personal health information.

Response Do's and Don'ts

Do:

• Acknowledge the reviewer's experience.
• Show empathy.
• Offer to continue the conversation offline if appropriate.
• Provide contact information.

Don't:

• Dismiss the patient's concerns.
• Argue.
• Copy or paste a generic response without personalization.

HIPAA Considerations

HIPAA laws protect patients in online and offline settings. Never confirm which treatment took place or the patient's identity. If you do need to discuss the specific treatment, take the conversation offline. Train all staff members responsible for responding to negative reviews on how to do so without violating HIPAA laws.

How to Handle Different Types of Negative Reviews

• Service or wait time complaints: Acknowledge the delay. Discuss steps being taken or steps that will be taken to improve wait times in the future.
• Clinical outcome complaints: Never discuss the specifics of a medical outcome in an online environment. Encourage the patient to contact the care team privately.
• Billing or insurance complaints: Show empathy and redirect the patient to contact the billing department for resolution.

Learn From Negative Reviews

Treat negative reviews like growth opportunities. Look for patterns in patient complaints and create a plan to train staff, improve processes, and avoid similar situations in the future.

Build a Strategy For Responding to Patient Reviews

Encourage happy patients to leave reviews. Set up a routine for monitoring reviews. Designate specially trained members of your team to monitor and respond to reviews.

Frequently Asked Questions About Responding to Negative Online Reviews