Earlier this week I presented to a large gathering of physicians about the role social media and digital communication tools can play in helping to promote their practices. One of the concerns they expressed had to do with negative online reviews from patients (Yelp, Healthgrades, Angie’s List) and reputation management for physicians. When the folks at InboundMD sent me the infographic below, I immediately thought of those physicians who are struggling with this new reality.
This is an interesting situation, as you’ll see in the infographic. Patients place a lot of stock in online reviews of physicians, while the physicians feel powerless to deal with the profileration of reviews. Sadly, many physician rating scores on sites like Yelp or Angie’s List are based on a very small number of reviews. They are based on a very small universe of patients. And I’m not sure that consumers viewing those ratings are scrutinizing the data.
One piece of advice I share with any physician who will listen is that the best counter to a negative review is a dozen positive reviews! Although most physicians I speak with are uncomfortable with this idea, I urge physicians and their staff to encourage satisfied patients to go online and leave reviews. In this way, they could get out in front of any negative reviews in a proactive manner. If I had my way, each practice would have a pre-printed sheet that instructs patients where to go to leave positive reviews. Many practices already do this (dental practices have been doing this for years) and it is a very smart strategy.
Enjoy the infographic!
The Healthcare Marketer 
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