Track Healthcare Reviews: How To Prevent Negative Feedback from Harming Your Reputation

POSTED ON: May 28, 2024

Track Healthcare Reviews: How To Prevent Negative Feedback from Harming Your Reputation Lauren Parr

Track Healthcare Reviews: How To Prevent Negative Feedback from Harming Your Reputation

Online reviews play a crucial role in shaping the reputation and success of businesses, especially in the healthcare industry. With 73% of patients considering online reviews when choosing a healthcare provider, the significance of these reviews cannot be understated.

Positive reviews can build trust and credibility, while negative reviews can steer patients away, leading to a loss of revenue and a tarnished reputation. Research has shown that it takes approximately 40 positive customer experiences to counteract the damage caused by a single negative review.

So, healthcare providers need to monitor their reputations and address any issues that may arise by paying attention to online reviews.

This is where review tracking can help. Review tracking, also known as online reputation management, is the practice of monitoring and managing the reviews and ratings that patients leave on platforms like Google, Yelp, Healthgrades, etc.

By actively tracking and responding to reviews, healthcare professionals can gain valuable insights into patient experiences, identify areas for improvement, and enhance their overall reputation.

This blog discusses insights into how review tracking works and its benefits and role in handling negative reviews

How Review Tracking Works

Patients increasingly turn to online review platforms to assess healthcare providers, so having a review tracking system is crucial for managing and enhancing a healthcare practice's online reputation.

While Google (81.96%) remains the most preferred platform to check out reviews, WebMD (57.98%), Yelp (47.76%), and Facebook (45.88%) are also in the competition.

The review tracking system provides a centralized dashboard where healthcare providers can see all their reviews in one place. This makes it easier to respond to feedback and address any concerns.

One key feature of the review tracking system is automated alerts for new reviews, particularly negative ones. These alerts allow healthcare facilities to address and rectify issues before they escalate quickly.

Sentiment analysis plays a crucial role in this process, as it involves analyzing the tone and emotion behind a review. Using sentiment analysis capabilities of tracking systems, healthcare facilities can gain valuable insights into customer feedback and make data-driven decisions to improve their overall patient experience.

By tracking reviews across different platforms, healthcare professionals can learn their patient satisfaction levels, identify trends and patterns in feedback, and make data-driven decisions to improve the quality of care they provide.

Benefits of Review Tracking for Handling Negative Reviews

Negative reviews can significantly impact your hospital's reputation, damaging your brand image while decreasing your patient acquisition and retention rates.

That's why quickly handling negative reviews matters to any healthcare organization to change their online perception and showcase their best face.

Here is how to handle negative reviews:

1. Early Intervention

Promptly addressing negative feedback can prevent it from gaining traction and potentially damaging your brand. 

According to Brightlocal, 88% of consumers are likelier to use a business that responds to positive and negative reviews, and 58% would prefer a company that responds only to negative reviews.

So, responding to negative reviews professionally and empathetically can showcase the provider's dedication to continuous improvement and patient-centered care. 

Ensure responsiveness and attentiveness to patient concerns to patch up the relationship with the dissatisfied patient and show potential patients that their problems are taken seriously.

2. Improved Communication

Reach out to dissatisfied patients directly to address their concerns. This shows patients that their feedback is valued and allows them to apologize and offer solutions.

By addressing issues promptly and proactively, healthcare providers can resolve the situation with unhappy patients and showcase their dedication to improving patient care.

"In addressing negative reviews, I always engage directly and empathetically. I view each negative review not as criticism but as an opportunity to learn and improve our services at Cool Springs Chiropractic. "

Pete Hinz
- Pete Hinz, founder, chiropractor, and certified acupuncturist Cool Springs Chiropractic

3. Identifying Common Issues

Actively monitoring and addressing negative reviews helps track recurring themes in patient feedback. 

By analyzing common complaints or concerns raised by patients, healthcare providers can identify areas for improvement.

This data can then be used to implement proactive changes that address underlying issues and ultimately enhance the overall patient experience.

"In our practice, we proactively address negative reviews by asking reviewers, "What can we do to make your review a 5-star one?" This approach demonstrates our commitment to patient satisfaction and allows us to extract specific feedback for actionable improvement. "

David Hill
- David Hill, MD, Plastic Surgeon & Medical Director Fulcrum Aesthetics & Surgery

4. Increased Transparency

Public responses to reviews allow healthcare providers to address concerns, demonstrate accountability, and showcase their commitment to patient care. This way, they can build trust with potential patients, reassuring them that their problems will be heard and addressed promptly.

Strategies for Handling Negative Reviews with Review Tracking

Embracing a review tracking system to handle negative reviews can help you stay one step ahead in turning dissatisfied patients into loyal advocates for your healthcare business.

Here is how a review tracking system can help turn your negative reviews into opportunities:

A. Developing a Response Protocol

  • Instant Alert

The early notification feature of the review tracking software ensures that you are instantly notified about any new reviews, whether positive or negative. This enables you to promptly address negative reviews, showcasing your responsiveness and dedication to addressing patient concerns.

"I've discovered that addressing negative reviews swiftly and empathetically is highly effective. Acknowledging the patient's experience and feelings shows that we value their opinion and are committed to providing quality care. "

Evan Tunis
- Evan Tunis, President Florida Healthcare Insurance
 

 

  • Identifying Trends

Review tracking can provide valuable insights into negative feedback trends. By analyzing these patterns, you can pinpoint areas that require improvement within your practice and proactively address common issues before they aggravate.

B. Engaging Directly with Empathy

  • Customized Replies

Review tracking allows you to access the reviewer's name and, occasionally, their location. This data enables you to craft a tailored response that showcases your attentiveness to their circumstances.

C. Offering Apologies and Explanations

  • Being Liable

Acknowledge a valid concern raised in a negative review and address it transparently. Tracking reviews allows you to record the issue and the steps taken to resolve it.

D. Highlighting Steps Taken

  • Transparency

Once you have addressed the concern with the patient directly, you can utilize the review platform to provide a follow-up response, highlighting the measures implemented to avoid similar issues for future patients. This showcases a dedication to ongoing enhancement.

E. Taking the Conversation Offline

  • Confidentiality

A review tracking platform uses messaging features to safeguard patient privacy, enabling conversations to be moved offline while maintaining confidentiality.

"One strategy I've employed is to directly engage with the feedback, offering to address the patient's concerns personally and, if necessary, invite them for a complimentary consultation to discuss their issues further. This approach helps resolve the patient's dissatisfaction and demonstrates to others reading the reviews that I am committed to patient satisfaction and continuous improvement. "

Shlomo Widder
- Shlomo Widder, MD, President Widder Plastic Surgery Center

F. Leveraging Positive Reviews

  • Encouraging Reviews

Numerous review tracking tools enable you to automatically request reviews from contented patients, promoting a balanced representation of feedback and highlighting the favorable aspects of your practice.

  • Highlighting Strengths

Utilize positive feedback to showcase the areas where your practice excels, aligning with the positive aspects acknowledged by contented patients.

Additional Considerations

  • Fake Reviews

Identifying and reporting fake reviews is essential for maintaining the credibility of your practice. According to the Brightlocal's local consumer review survey, 40% of consumers said they would suspect a review was fake if they believed AI wrote it.

This highlights the growing concern around the authenticity of online reviews. To combat this issue, you can check the review's content style, language, pattern, reviewer profile, date, etc.

Platforms have also implemented various strategies, such as using algorithms to detect fake reviews, verifying reviewer identities, and allowing users to report suspicious reviews.

  • Legal Compliance

When responding to reviews, healthcare providers must adhere to HIPAA regulations, which emphasize strict guidelines on the privacy and security of patients' protected health information.

Therefore, any responses to reviews must avoid disclosing any patient-specific details that could compromise confidentiality.

By following HIPAA regulations when engaging with online feedback, healthcare professionals can demonstrate their commitment to patient privacy and uphold patients' trust in their care.

Wrapping Up

Review tracking is pivotal in empowering healthcare businesses to manage negative reviews effectively. 

By monitoring and responding to feedback in a timely manner, healthcare providers can address any issues, demonstrate their commitment to patient satisfaction, and improve their overall online reputation.

RepuGen's review tracking tool is a valuable resource that assists healthcare professionals in streamlining review management. 

By providing real-time notifications of new reviews across various online platforms, RepuGen allows providers to promptly respond to patient feedback.

Furthermore, the tool offers insightful analytics and trends to help identify areas for improvement and build a positive online presence, which can enhance a healthcare practice's overall reputation.

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