The Importance of Online Reviews for Doctors
Today’s consumers look to the internet to find what they need—from local restaurants to dinner recipes, and everything in between. More than one billion terms are searched on Google every single day, and nearly 20% of these searches are for the purpose of finding a specific product or service. In fact, at least 82% of consumers look for research on the internet before making a purchase.
What does all of this have to do with your healthcare practice? A lot! If today’s consumers are researching restaurants, appliances, and businesses on the internet, you can bet that they’re also looking up their healthcare providers as well. Read on to learn more about why doctors should keep an eye on their online reviews.
What Are Online Reviews?
Online reviews are patient testimonials about your practice posted online. Reviews are a key component of your practice’s Google My Business (GMB) listing, showing your practice’s star rating alongside feedback written by Google users. Online reviews may also be posted to specific review sites, such as Yelp, Healthgrades, Vitals, RateMDs, Doctor.com, and more.
Online reviews are also an integral element of your business’s digital presence. They boost your SEO, helping you climb higher in search rankings so that more potential patients can find you.
Why Are Online Reviews Important?
Many potential patients rely on word of mouth when choosing a physician or healthcare provider. And in today’s digital age, online reviews provide access to word-of-mouth perspectives from a wide variety of people! Online reviews help show potential patients what they can expect from your practice. Was it easy to book an appointment? Were the employees friendly? What were wait times like?
This feedback can also provide valuable insight to you as a business owner, showcasing areas where you may want to make some improvements to provide a better patient experience.
How to Stay HIPAA Compliant
Managing your online reviews shows potential patients that you care about feedback and are willing to grow as a practice. However, as healthcare providers, it’s incredibly important to respond to reviews carefully to maintain HIPAA compliance. Here are some tips:
● Use third-person language.
● Do not address them personally by name, or say “you.”
● Do not confirm if they were at your practice.
A good best practice is to respond with broad, vague statements as if you were speaking to a crowd. For example, “Patients who have questions are welcome to contact us for more information.”
How Clinician Box Can Help
Online reviews are a powerful part of your practice’s online presence, but staying on top of responding to them takes a lot of time that most doctors don’t have! Our HIPAA-compliant platform makes it easy to request and respond to reviews across a wide variety of sites, including Google, Facebook, and Healthgrades. Not tech-savvy? Let our team take care of responding to reviews on your behalf.
Visit our website to learn more about our Reputation Management services, or call 833-CLINBOX today to get started!
