In today’s era of healthcare consumerism, many people are taking their medical care into their own hands. Your potential patients will likely do a great deal of research before they decide to use your practice, including looking up patient reviews.
According to a 2021 study by RepuGen, a healthcare reputation management platform, 81% of patients consider online reviews when selecting a healthcare provider. Seventy-two percent of healthcare consumers look for a rating of at least 4 out of 5 stars before deciding on a health facility or physician, according to the 2022 Healthcare Reputation Report.
Potential patients want to know that you will bring them the same level of commitment and excellence. They want to know that they can trust you with their health or the health of their family members, and they’re counting on your past patients to provide them with those reviews.
What does this mean for your practice?
Having Reviews Is Critical
As a medical practice, you must seek out reviews from satisfied patients. According to the Repugen 2021 study, over 95% of patients consider online reviews an essential deciding factor, with 40% refusing to visit providers with poor reviews.
Are your patients offering those reviews, or are you struggling to get them? As part of your regular patient interactions, encourage your patients to offer those reviews and provide your future patients with those insights.
Are your patients offering those reviews, or do you find yourself struggling to get that content for your website? As part of your regular patient interactions, encourage your patients to offer those reviews and provide your future patients with those insights.
How You Respond to Reviews Matters
Unfortunately, not every patient will have the experience they’re hoping for with your practice. This could be due to several reasons, including a rude front desk employee, poor clinical experience, or dealing with an incorrect bill.
Look at your reviews regularly. What do they have to say about you? How does your practice respond to negative reviews? You could offer a compassionate response to dissatisfied patients to showcase your commitment to patient experience.
Responding to positive reviews is also a great personal touch. Be grateful for the patients who took the time to praise your practice.
Patterns May Show Up in Your Reviews Over Time
Searching for patterns in your reviews can help you improve your practice. For example:
- Do your patients have negative comments about their reception at your office?
- Do patients complain that it’s hard to get in touch with you or schedule an appointment?
- What do patients have to say about the attitudes of your staff members?
It’s normal to have some disgruntled patients, especially those for whom a treatment or procedure did not turn out according to plan. But if you uncover negative trends, consider what you may need to address within your practice.
Remember, your patient reviews are one of the most essential elements of your practice’s online presence, and the more, the merrier. Positive reviews can draw in many new patients, while negative ones can help you understand what changes you need to make to improve patient satisfaction.