Online Reviews Impact How Patients Select Hospitals & Doctors

Updated from March 28, 2022

Online reviews can make or break a patient’s decision to step foot into your hospital or practice. Learn how to ensure that your reviews get them through the door.

In today’s digital-first era, many consumers browse online reviews before choosing a restaurant or booking a hotel to determine if a place is worth visiting. They analyze factors such as price, quality of service, and the value of the product or services they seek. However, this habit goes beyond hospitality.

In healthcare, patients want the best possible care at a price they can afford and are willing to do the research to find it. In fact, nearly 75% of patients turn to online reviews as the first step when searching for a new physician. If you’re not maintaining your hospital’s or practice’s online reputation, you could miss valuable opportunities for patient acquisition and outreach.

Online Reviews Can Drive Patients Toward (or Away From) Your Doctors

As patients become more selective in their search for care, healthcare organizations are forced to shift their marketing efforts from a physician-focused model to a patient-centric one. In other words, health system leaders and marketers must think about what patients want and expect from physicians and specialists rather than simply listing the services that their doctors can provide. For example, Healthgrades research shows that when searching for physicians, patients find factors like bedside manner, years of experience, and previous procedures the most helpful.

Online reviews are a valuable source of information for patients who want to gain genuine, honest insight into these factors and past care experiences. In fact, 90% of healthcare consumers in a Software Advice survey said online reviews were a part of their decision-making process.

However, patients aren’t the only ones who rely on online reviews to determine care options—healthcare professionals also find them useful when referring patients to other doctors or specialists. Another Healthgrades study¹ found that patient reviews topped physicians’ list of factors that matter most to them when making referrals, followed by office location, board certifications, and medical school training.

Data highlights the importance of online reviews in healthcare, reinforcing these established marketing concepts:

• Brand visibility, recognition, and reputation are powerful revenue multipliers.
• Patients are consumers. They want the best possible overall experience when seeking services. Organizations that prioritize customer satisfaction alongside growth, margin, and profitability are more likely to report successful customer outcomes.
• Online reviews in healthcare are here to stay. Your patients’ experiences today may become the deciding factor for a new patient tomorrow, so it is imperative to take steps now to make them happy.

How Can Health Systems Manage Reviews for Better Patient Acquisition?

Patients trust online reviews because they reflect the authentic experiences of people like them. Before deciding on a hospital or practice, patients want to know in advance that they will receive care that meets their expectations. 

But how do you respond when the reviews start rolling in? If it’s positive, your task is simple: Thank patients for their loyalty and for taking the time to share their experience. The tricky part comes when the feedback isn’t as flattering, made all the more complicated when you add in patient privacy concerns.

However, negative reviews are opportunities. They’re your chance to engage with patients in meaningful ways, get valuable feedback to transform your practice, and show prospective clients that you’re willing to own mistakes. Even if you believe the patient misunderstood the situation that led to their bad review, it is almost always worth taking a moment to clear the air.

Taking the time to craft replies for each individual shows that you’re not a robot reciting automated messages. Instead, you’re helping the patient feel heard and understood. Remember to be mindful of HIPAA, however. If the patient’s complaint is about your medical advice or their condition, diagnosis, or treatment, you can’t give a detailed public response without breaking confidentiality. Even if a patient is forthcoming about their health status and willingly shares personally identifiable information, your health system simply cannot confront these issues head-on without breaching confidentiality. Consider engaging legal counsel to review replies and help you respond in line with HIPAA requirements.

Tap into Healthgrades’ Patient Engagement Resources to remind and help consumers to post reviews on your physicians’ profiles. You can take advantage of the following features to boost your chances of receiving more four- to five-star reviews and achieving your patient acquisition goals:

• Survey Reminder Cards: Whether it’s through email, reminder text, or printed copies, encourage your patients to complete an online survey regarding their visit after their appointments.
• Patient Satisfaction Review Link: Use a custom, mobile-friendly link across all your digital communications so patients can directly access your Patient Satisfaction Survey on healthgrades.com—America’s #1 site for doctor-patient connections.
• Star Rating Badge: Advertise your Healthgrades Star Rating to show prospects and patients your health system’s commitment to quality.

Let Your Online Reputation Shine with Healthgrades

Two-thirds of consumers who visit Healthgrades physician profiles make an appointment within a week. Health systems and practices can leverage this opportunity to ensure their brand remains top of mind through Healthgrades’ Advertising Solutions. We help turn first impressions into conversions with the following:

• Increased Visibility: Enhance your branding and calls to action on Healthgrades’ physician search results and profiles.
• Competitive Intercept: Promote your brand and present your medical staff as alternatives directly on competitors’ profiles.
• Syndication Network: Extend your brand across the web with our partner sites for a seamless user experience.
• Better Search Relevancy: Boost your SEO and SEM strategies to maximize relevance and provide qualified leads.
• Easy Conversion: Integrate online appointment scheduling for in-person and telehealth services directly into your profiles. According to a Healthgrades study, 55% of respondents were likely to consider changing doctors to one who offers online appointment scheduling.²
• Expanded Access to Doctors: Show available alternatives within your health system when a doctor is not accepting new patients to resolve capacity issues and retain patients.

Ready to get started? Chat with Healthgrades today.

1. Healthgrades survey emailed to Healthgrades physician community, including registered members, February – March 2023.
2. Reviews and Online Appointment Scheduling survey, Healthgrades Study using Suzy Online Survey Platform. n=1072